France’s ambassador to Burkina Faso said on Saturday that 27 people died when Islamist gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital city of Burkina Faso on Friday. The figure is slightly higher than a death toll of 23 given earlier by the West African nation’s president.
A hospital director added that many others were taken hostage by the gunmen.
The local fire-brigade has found 10 dead bodies on the terrace of the hotel building on Saturday morning, the Interior Minister has said.
126 hostages have been evacuated from the hotel in the capital, Minister of Communications Remis Dandjinou said on Saturday.
Three al-Qaeda attackers have also been killed by the police.
The terrorist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Gunshots and explosions were heard coming from one of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou’s main hotels and a nearby restaurant, with a witness saying several people had been killed in what the French embassy has called a terrorist attack.
Around 10 vehicles were on fire in the street late on Friday evening where the four-star Splendid hotel and the Cappuccino restaurant opposite – both popular with United Nations staff and westerners – are located in a busy, central area of Burkina Faso’s capital not far from the international airport.
Security Forces Launch Assualt
Security forces in Burkina Faso launched an assault on Saturday to recapture a hotel in the capital stormed by suspected Islamist militants who took hostages, a witness has said.
Burkina Faso’s security agencies are working with their French counterparts to
Two groups of security forces entered the main lobby of the Splendid Hotel and there was no gunfire as they went in. Part of the lobby was on fire, the witness said.
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