SEVARE , Mali, Nov. 20 (UPI) — At least three people died Friday after gunmen stormed a five-star Radisson Hotel on Friday in the West African nation of Mali, taking 170 hostages.
The hotel chain said two gunmen have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees at the Radisson Blu Hotel. {link:CNN, citing a U.N. officials, reported two Malian nationals and one French national were killed in the attack.
Xinhua reported several hostages are Chinese. One of the people staying at the hotel is reportedly Aliko Dangote, the most wealthy person in Africa.
“This week there was a big delegation for the peace process at the Radisson hotel in Bamako,” said Olivier Saldago, a spokesman for MINUSMA, the United Nation’s branch in the nation.
Three of the U.N. staffers have been freed from the hotel. It’s unclear how many remain inside the building.
The U.S. embassy in Bamako, the capital of Mali, instructed all U.S. residents and embassy staff to shelter in place.
“The embassy is aware of an ongoing active shooter operation at the Radisson Hotel. The U.S. embassy staff has been asked to shelter in place. All U.S. citizens should shelter in place. Private U.S. citizens are encouraged to contact their family,” the embassy said. “Monitor local media for updates. U.S. citizens should adhere to the instructions of local authorities and monitor local media.”
The UN sent peacekeepers to Mali in 2013 to guard against extremists who threatened Bamako. In August, 12 hostages and Malian soldiers were killed in a gun battle with the Macina Liberation Movement, a extremist group formed earlier this year, at a hotel in central Mali.
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