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Mali hotel attack leaves 'at least five dead' as gunmen take foreign hostages Mali hotel attack: Hostages freed after French and Malian special forces storm building
(35 minutes later)
At least five people have been killed, according to officials, after gunmen stormed a hotel in Mali. Troops have stormed a hotel in central Mali, freeing four people held hostage by gunmen and ending a siege of the building, according to a defence ministry spokesman.
The gunmen continued to hold an unknown number of hostages in the Byblos Hotel in the town of Sevare, about 600km north of the capital Bamako, on Saturday. The defence ministry said that French and Malian troops were involved in the raid on the Byblos Hotel in the town of Sevare, about 600km north of the capital Bamako.
Radhia Achouri, a spokeswoman for the UN mission in Mali, confirmed that a UN contractor was killed in the attack, but did not provide further details. "It seems to be over and it has ended well," spokesman Colonel Diaran Koné said.
The nationalities of the hostages are unclear, but a statement from the Ukrainian foreign ministry, based on information from its embassy in Algeria, said a Ukrainian, three South Africans and a French citizen "may be held hostage". He did not give the nationalities of the freed hostages, but a number are believed to have been foreigners.
Other reports said a Ukrainian man who escaped told soldiers that among those in the hotel at the time of the attack had been three South Africans and a Russian. During the siege Ukrainian foreign ministry statement, based on information from its embassy in Algeria, indicated a Ukrainian, three South Africans and a French citizen were among those held by gunmen at the hotel. A Russian man was also thought to be among those held.
A spokesman for the Russian embassy in Mali, quoted by the RIA Novosti state news agency, said a Russian hostage was an employee of UTAir, which works with the UN's Mali mission. At least 12 people have been killed in the attack, which began on Friday morning when gunmen stormed the hotel, which is frequently used by UN workers and foreign staff.
The gunmen stormed the hotel, which is popular with UN workers and foreign staff, on Friday morning, according to the government. The Malian military subsequently surrounded the building.
The Malian military subsequently surrounded the hotel. Mr Koné, the defence ministry spokesman, said that four bodies - three hotel staff and one gunman - were recovered following the end of the siege, bringing the total death toll up to 12 people, according to the Associated Press.
Earlier reports said that five Malian troops, two gunmen and a UN contractor had been killed.
Radhia Achouri, a spokeswoman for the UN mission in Mali, confirmed that a UN contractor was among the dead, but did not provide further details.
The UN mission in Mali said that it had reinforced security at the local Sevare-Mopti airport in the wake of the attack.The UN mission in Mali said that it had reinforced security at the local Sevare-Mopti airport in the wake of the attack.
Both Mali's government and the UN mission have condemned the attack.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Mali's north fell under the control of jihadists in 2012.No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Mali's north fell under the control of jihadists in 2012.
They were ousted in 2013 by a French-led military offensive, but remnants of the group continue to stage attacks, although the area surrounding Sevare and Mopti, the heart of Mali's tourism industry, has largely been spared from attacks.They were ousted in 2013 by a French-led military offensive, but remnants of the group continue to stage attacks, although the area surrounding Sevare and Mopti, the heart of Mali's tourism industry, has largely been spared from attacks.
(Additional reporting by agencies)(Additional reporting by agencies)