On 20 November 2015, Islamist militants took 170

hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or refr ...

s and killed 20 of them in a

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...

at the

Radisson Blu Radisson Blu is an international chain of hotels operated by Radisson Hotels. With roots dating back to the 1960s, the Radisson Blu brand name came into existence in 2009 with a rebranding from Radisson SAS. Its hotels are found in major cities, ...

hotel in

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...

, the capital city of

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

. Includes video. Malian commandos along with a special mission unit operator from the US Army’s Combat Application Group, commonly referred to as

Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...

, assaulted the hotel and freed the surviving hostages.

Al-Mourabitoun The Independent Nasserite Movement – INM ( ar-at, حركة الناصريين المستقلين-المرابطون, translit=Harakat al-Nasiriyin al-Mustaqillin) or simply Al-Murabitoun ( lit. ''The Steadfast''), also termed variously Mouveme ...

claimed that it carried out the attack "in cooperation with"

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في بلاد المغرب الإسلامي, Tanẓīm al-Qā'idah fī Bilād al-Maghrib al-Islāmī), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to o ...

; an Al Qaeda member confirmed that the two groups cooperated in the attack.

Background

Following the

Libyan civil war Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

, many ethnic

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Alg ...

who had fought for the

Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...

government and the rebels took their weapons and left for

Azawad Azawad, or Azawagh (Tuareg: Azawaɣ, or Azawad; ar, أزواد) was a short-lived unrecognised state from 2012 to 2013. Azawagh (''Azawaɣ'') is the generic Tuareg Berber name of all Tuareg Berber areas, especially the northern half of Mali ...

(a region in Northern Mali that the

National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or the Azawad National Liberation Movement (Tamasheq: '; ar, الحركة الوطنية لتحرير أزواد ''al-Ḥarakat al-Waṭaniyat Litaḥrīr ʾĀzawād''; french: Mouvement nati ...

(MNLA) wants to be an independent state). Following several previously failed Tuareg rebellions, the MNLA managed to take over the area and declare independence. However, the secular movement was soon overrun by Islamist-oriented groups such as MOJWA and

Ansar Dine Ansar Dine ( ar, أنصار الدين ''ʾAnṣār ad-Dīn'', also transliterated ''Ançar Deen''; meaning " helpers of the religion" (Islam) also known as Ansar al-Din (abbreviated as AAD) was a Salafi jihadist group led by Iyad Ag Ghaly. An ...

. The French launched a military operation that ousted the rebels, with additional military support from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). However, simmering tensions and irregular incidents continued to occur. The

Macina Liberation Front The Macina Liberation Front (MLF, , also known as the Macina Liberation Movement or Katibat Macina) is a militant Islamist group that operates in Mali. It is an affiliate of Ansar Dine. Origins and membership In March 2012, the President of M ...

is a new jihadist group operating in central and southern Mali led by the radical Muslim cleric Amadou Kouffa, a strong proponent of strict Islamic law in Mali. The group draws most of its support from the

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

ethnic group, who are found across the

Sahel region Sahel is one of Burkina Faso's 13 administrative regions. It was created on 2 July 2001. The region's capital is Dori. Four provinces make up the region— Oudalan, Séno, Soum, and Yagha. As of 2019, the population of the region was 1,094, ...

. Kouffa is a close ally of Ansar Dine leader

Iyad ag Ghali Iyad Ag Ghaly ( ar, اياد اغ غالي, sometimes romanised as Ag Ghali), also known as Abū al-Faḍl ( ar, أبو الفضل ), is a Tuareg militant from Mali's Kidal Region. He has been active in Tuareg rebellions against the Malian gove ...

. A Human Rights Watch report said the Macina Liberation Front militants had carried out serious abuses in parts of central Mali since January and killed at least five people they accused of being aligned to the government. The group has attacked police and military particularly in the Mopti region, most recently killing three soldiers in Tenenkou in August. The Malian military recently arrested Alaye Bocari, a man they say was a key MLF financier and Kouffa's right-hand man. The

hotel in

is in a business district that is close to the embassies, and is frequented by foreign businesspeople and government employees. It is part of a chain of up-market hotels that is operated by the

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Radisson Hospitality, Inc. ( trading as Radisson Hotel Group) is an American multi-national hospitality company. It started as a division of Carlson Companies, which owned Radisson Hotels, Country Inns & Suites and other brands. In 1994, Carlson ...

, which has headquarters in the United States and Belgium.

Attack

Two gunmen arrived at the hotelCarlotta Gall
Mali Says 2 Gunmen Carried Out Hotel Attack in Bamako
''New York Times'' (23 November 2015). between 7 and 7:30 a.m.; according to a hotel employee, the men were driving a vehicle with diplomatic license plates. Malian army commander

Modibo Nama Traoré Modibo or more correctlyMoodibbo in Fula or Fulfulde Orthography is a given name in some Fulɓe or Fulani regions, while in some regions it's used as a form of respect which means a learned scholar. Others are named moodibbo after one's parents or g ...

said that at least 10 gunmen had stormed the hotel shouting "

Allahu Akbar Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...

" before firing on guards and taking hostages. Guinean singer

Sekouba Bambino Sekouba "Bambino" is the stage name of Sekouba Diabaté, a singer and musician born in Guinea, West Africa, in 1964. reported that the perpetrators were speaking in English. This was supported by many other witnesses, who said the attackers spoke something that was neither

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

nor local. Kassim Traoré, a Malian journalist, said that hostages were asked to recite the ''

shahada The ''Shahada'' ( Arabic: ٱلشَّهَادَةُ , "the testimony"), also transliterated as ''Shahadah'', is an Islamic oath and creed, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam and part of the Adhan. It reads: "I bear witness that there i ...

'' in order to get released. Soon after, the Armed and Security Forces of Mali special forces stormed the hotel. According to the hotel operators, 125 guests and 13 employees were inside the hotel when the siege began. According to General Didier Dacko of the Malian Army, "about 100 hostages" were taken at the beginning of the siege. The

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

and

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...

have reported that in the chaos of the initial attack, many present were able to escape, but around 170 people were held hostage. A delegation of the

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to the Francophonie, french: La Francophonie , but also called International Organisation of in English-language context) is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a ...

was in the hotel at the time of the attack. Ten

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

citizens; twenty Indian citizens; about a dozen American citizens, including personnel from the US Embassy; seven Algerian citizens, including six diplomats; two

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

citizens; two Moroccan citizens; seven

Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines ( Turkish: ''Türk Hava Yolları'') is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey. , it operates scheduled services to 340 destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, making it the largest mainline carrier in the ...

staff; and an unknown number of French citizens were reported to have been among those taken hostage. Two Canadian mining executives were some of the last hostages rescued. Twelve crew from

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...

, who were also in the hotel, were extracted and safely released. Three United Nations staff were safely removed from the hotel, but it remains unknown how many were caught inside. Several delegates from

MINUSMA The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (, MINUSMA) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. MINUSMA was established on 25 April 2013 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2100 to stabilise t ...

were present at the hotel attending a meeting on the peace process in the country. More than 100 hostages were freed.

UN peacekeepers Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished ...

supported the

Malian Armed Forces The Malian Armed Forces (french: links=no, Forces Armées Maliennes) consists of the Army (french: Armée de Terre, links=no), Republic of Mali Air Force (french: Force Aérienne de la Republique du Mali, links=no), and National Guard (french: G ...

by reinforcing security around the hotel. 25 U.S. Special Forces were in Bamako at the time of the attack and assisted Malian forces in evacuating civilians to secure locations. An official from the U.S. Defense Department said that 22 military and civilian department personnel were in the city, including five people who were at the hotel. However, he added that everyone was accounted for and there were no reports of injuries. One member, who was outside, entered the hotel to help first responders move civilians to secure locations while the Malian operation was ongoing. Another member helped at the Joint Operations Center, which was set up to respond to the incident. The official also said that the forces did not directly participate in the operation. A further 12 U.S. citizens were rescued by security forces, according to AFRICOM. Although there were earlier reports of more gunmen involved in the hotel attack, the investigation determined that in fact there were only two attackers.

Victims

Twenty people were murdered in the attack: six Malians, six Russians, three Chinese, two Belgians, one American, one Israeli and one Senegalese.Associated Press
Mali special forces arrest 2 over attack on luxury hotel in Mali claimed by Islamic extremists
(27 November 2015).
Faith Karimi and Erin Burnett, CNN, 21 November 2015 Among the victims were: * Geoffrey Dieudonné, a Belgian counselor with the Brussels-Wallonia regional parliament.Associated Press
A Partial List of Victims in the Mali Hotel Attack
(23 November 2015). * Three Chinese executives from the

China Railway Construction Corporation China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (abbreviated CRCC) is a listed construction enterprise based in Beijing, China, that was the second largest construction and engineering company in the world by revenue in 2014. The limited compan ...

. * Six Russians, all employees of the

Volga-Dnepr Airlines Volga-Dnepr Airlines, LLC (russian: ООО «Авиакомпания «Волга-Днепр») is an airline based in Ulyanovsk, Russia. It specializes in providing air charter services by operating a unique fleet of twelve Antonov An-124 (lar ...

cargo company (a navigator, a flight radio operator, a flight engineer, a load master, and two aircraft mechanics). * Anita Ashok Datar, an American of

Takoma Park, Maryland Takoma Park is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, and part of the Washington metropolitan area. Founded in 1883 and incorporated in 1890, Takoma Park, informally called "Azalea City", is a Tree C ...

, who was a senior manager at the Palladium Group (an international development consulting firm), a former

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...

volunteer, and expert in global

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

who was an expert in family planning, reproductive health and HIV in Africa and Asia. * Shmuel Benalal, an Israeli who was an education consultant and president of Telos Group Ltd.

Responsibility

While the attack was under way,

claimed responsibility for it via

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, although its claim has not been verified. In an audio recording provided to Al Jazeera, the group also claimed responsibility and said that it had undertaken the attack jointly with

al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في بلاد المغرب الإسلامي, Tanẓīm al-Qā'idah fī Bilād al-Maghrib al-Islāmī), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to o ...

(AQIM). Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is an armed force that defines itself as an Islamic-based militant organization whose ultimate goal is to create an Islamic State in Algeria. Al-Mourabitoun is made up of

Tuaregs The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern ...

and

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

from northern Mali and is affiliated with AQIM. The group, led by

Mokhtar Belmokhtar Mokhtar Belmokhtar (; ar, مختار بلمختار;pronounced in Algerian Arabic as born 1 June 1972), also known as Khalid Abu al-Abbas, The One-Eyed, Nelson, and The Uncatchable, is an Algerian leader of the group Al-Murabitoun, former mil ...

, formed in 2013 and is based in the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. The

also claimed responsibility for the attack.

Reactions

Malian President This is a list of heads of state of Mali since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of seven people have served as head of state of Mali (excluding three acting presidents). Additionally, two people, ...

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta (; 29 January 1945 – 16 January 2022), often known by his initials IBK, was a Malian politician who served as the president of Mali from September 2013 to August 2020, when he was forced to resign in the 2020 Malian cou ...

cut short his visit to Chad in order to return to Bamako and coordinate the response. Mali also declared a 10-day state of emergency. In a press conference, French Foreign Minister

Laurent Fabius Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 Mar ...

stated that France will take "all steps necessary" to fight the attackers in Bamako. A crisis unit was set up in the

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

. Forty officers from the

National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Mini ...

GIGN The GIGN ( ; ) is the elite police tactical unit of the National Gendarmerie of France. Among its missions are counterterrorism, hostage rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, critical site protection ( ...

special forces unit, along with ten forensic and criminal officers, were sent to "advise and support" Malian security forces.

flights to and from Bamako were suspended for the day. The

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

condemned the attack. Australia advised its citizens not to travel to Mali and advised those in country to leave. Similar warnings were made by the Foreign Office in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

advised British nationals to remain indoors and follow the instructions of the local government authorities. The United States condemned the attack and confirmed continuing coordination of its officials in the country to verify the location of all citizens in Mali and that it was "prepared to assist the Malian government in the coming days as it investigates this tragic terrorist attack." The embassy urged its citizens to

shelter in place Shelter-in-place (SIP; also known as a shelter-in-place warning, SAME code SPW) is the act of seeking safety within the building one already occupies, rather than evacuating the area or seeking a community emergency shelter. The American Red C ...

, follow government instructions and contact their family. The Russian city of

Ulyanovsk Oblast Ulyanovsk Oblast (russian: Ульяновская область, ''Ul’janovskaja oblast’'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It is located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Ulyanovsk. Populati ...

, home of five of the victims, declared 23 November a mourning day. Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita later declared three days of national mourning in Mali. Ahead of the three days of national mourning, the chairman of the West African regional bloc Ecowas, Senegal's President

Macky Sall Macky Sall (, wo, Maki Sàll, fuc, 𞤃𞤢𞤳𞤭 𞤅𞤢𞤤‎, italic=no, Maki Sal; born 11 December 1961) is a Senegalese politician who has been President of Senegal since April 2012. He was re-elected President in the first round voti ...

, visited Bamako to show support. He said on Sunday: "Mali will never be alone in this fight, we are all committed because we are all involved."

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

, Mauritania and Guinea are also observing the mourning.

Investigation

Three days after the attack, the Malian government released photographs of the corpses of the two attackers. The men were clean-shaven and appeared to be in their 20s. One "had visible bullet wounds to his upper body." The authorities have not been able to identify the men and urged members of the public with information to come forward. Al Mourabitoun, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said that the men were Abdul Hakim al-Ansari and Mu'adh al-Ansari, but this claim has not been verified. On 22 November 2015, two separate police sources speaking to Agence-France Presse on condition of anonymity said that "two foreigners" along with "three or four accomplice" were responsible for the attack.Investigation into Mali attack points to 'two foreigners'
Deutsche Welle (22 November 2015). On 27 November 2015, Malian special forces arrested two Malian men in their early 30s on the outskirts of Bamako in connection with the attack.Faith Karimi & Brent Swails
Mali arrests 2 suspects in hotel terror attack
CNN (27 November 2015). The men were linked to the attack by a mobile phone found at the scene of the attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamako attacks Attacks on hotels in Africa Diplomatic incidents History of Bamako Hostage taking Islamic terrorism in Mali Islamic terrorist incidents in 2015 Mass murder in 2015 Mass shootings in Africa Terrorist incidents attributed to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Organisation internationale de la Francophonie Radisson Blu Terrorist incidents in Mali in 2015 November 2015 events in Africa Attacks on tourists Rezidor Hotel Group 2015 murders in Mali