Suspected Islamist gunmen were holding as many as 10 hostages on Friday after at least eight people died following an attack on a hotel in central Mali used by UN staff, Malian army and defence spokesmen have said.
The death toll from the attack and ensuing firefight had risen to five soldiers and three militants, army spokesman Col Souleymane Maiga said.
“The armed men have withdrawn inside the hotel and have taken the people inside hostage. The army is looking for a solution,” he added.
A defence ministry spokesman said up to 10 hostages were believed to be held inside.
One of the hostages is a Russian citizen, the Russian embassy in the capital, Bamako, said.
“We have confirmed information that a Russian is in the hotel,” Interfax news agency quoted embassy press attaché Victor Gorelov as saying.
Earlier reports said jihadists had stormed two hotels in the attack and that a UN peacekeeper was among the dead. Whether the peacekeeper was counted among the dead soldiers was not clear.
Early on Friday the Islamic militants assaulted one hotel in the town of Sevare, and then after an exchange of gunfire moved on to the Hotel Byblos next door where they grabbed between six and 10 people, said Lt Col Diarran Kone.
“The operation to free the hostages is ongoing,” he said.
French-led offensive
Northern Mali fell under the control of jihadists in 2012 but a French-led offensive ousted them from power in early 2013.
Remnants of the group have staged a number of attacks on UN peacekeepers and Malian forces.
Friday’s assault on a hotel known to be popular with UN pilots marks a serious escalation.
Sevare is about 600km (400 miles) northeast of the capital, Bamako.
Sevare and the nearby town of Mopti in central Mali have long been at the heart of the country’s tourism industry, and had been spared from the attacks more common in the northern towns of Gao and Timbuktu.
After Friday’s attack started, smoke rose from the scene and heavy weapons fire was heard as government forces moved in to dislodge the gunmen.
The body of a white male victim was visible in front of the hotel, a witness said.
An attacker strapped with explosives was also killed, military spokesman Souleymane Dembele said in a text message.
Mr Dembele said an east European and three other personnel from the MINUSMA UN peacekeeping operation were believed to have escaped.
MINUSMA spokeswoman Radhia Achouri confirmed gunmen had entered a hotel in Sevare but would not comment on the possible presence of UN peacekeepers or officials.
“There was gunfire from early this morning and the situation continues. The Malian army is retaliating and reinforcing their position,” she said.
Northern strongholds
Mali’s jihadist groups have been stepping up their attacks further south from their strongholds in the north.
In March, a masked gunman opened fire at a restaurant popular with foreigners in Bamako, the capital, killing five people.
In June, gunmen killed three soldiers in a village near the Mauritania border. The next day extremists briefly occupied a village near Ivory Coast. The extremist group Ansar Dine said it was behind those attacks.
Suspected militants killed 11 soldiers in a raid on an army base near the ancient northern city of Timbuktu on Monday. A military spokesman said on Thursday five people had been arrested in connection with that attack.
Reuters