French connection in Mali terror
African leaders express outrage as 27 killed when gunmen storm hotel in capital
THE bloody terrorist siege at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako, was brought to an end yesterday, with 27 people reported to have been killed at the hands of members of an al-Qaeda-affiliated group. The raid came a week after Islamic State militants killed 130 people in Paris.
According to Mauritanian news agency Al Akhbar, the splinter group, Al Mourabitoun, has claimed joint responsibility with al-Qaeda. In the wake of the siege the Mali government has announced a 10-day state of emergency.
Al Mourabitoun claimed the attack was in retaliation for government aggression in northern Mali, Al Akhbar reported.
The group also demanded the release of prisoners held in France.
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said yesterday that it was likely Algerian Jihadist and the leader of Al Mourabitoun, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, was the mastermind behind the attack.
The South African government has strongly condemned the incident.
Yesterday, Clayson Monyela, spokesman for the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, said no South Africans had been killed.
“The South African government strongly condemns the use of force, violence, intimidation or threats to address socio-political issues or towards the resolution of political disagreements.
“South Africa stands firmly with the rest of the international community in its condemnation of attacks targeting innocent civilians and reiterates its stance that terrorism, in whatever form and from whichever quarter, cannot be condoned.
“South Africa further condemns any act of violence which seeks to undermine the Mali Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed between the Malian Government and the Tuareg rebel leaders in May and June 2015 respectively.”
The chairwoman of the Commission of the AU, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, condemned the attack, terming it “cowardly”.
In a statement on Friday she expressed her “deepest condolences” to the bereaved and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Dlamini-Zuma noted that the attack “came at a time when the international community was mobilised to bring the Malian government and other stakeholders to complete the implementation agreement for peace and reconciliation in Mali, in line with the Algiers Process.”
She stressed the need for the Malian parties – with the support of the region, the rest of Africa and international partners – to redouble efforts to restore lasting peace and security to their country and neutralise terrorist and criminal groups.
More than 150 people were trapped in the hotel for several hours during the siege, said Malian officials, before a combined team of Malian Special Forces, French Special Forces and off-duty US servicemen stormed the hotel, killing two militants and freeing the guests and staff.
The BBC reported that three Chinese businessmen, Zhou Tianxiang, Wang Xuanshang and Chang Xuehui, were among those killed.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called the attack “cruel and savage”.
A US citizen, Anita Datar, 41, who was in Mali working on humanitarian projects, also died, with President Barack Obama saying the attack was a further reminder that the “scourge of terrorism” was a global threat.
Several Russians and a Belgian parliamentary official, Geoffrey Dieudonne, also lost their lives.
The drama began at around 9am South African time on Friday. Mali’s Minister of Internal Security, Colonel Salif Traoré, said the gunmen had breached a security barrier around the hotel, firing automatic weapons and shouting Allahu Akbar (God is great). They proceeded to move through the hotel taking hostages, before the killing began.
The attack came as the hotel was hosting diplomats working on devising a peace process for the landlocked country, a former French colony that has seen an upswing in Islamic extremism in recent years.
The government of Mali is being assisted by UN and French forces to maintain stability in the country.