Islamist attack on Burkina Faso hotel leaves 28 dead and 50 injured

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This article titled "Islamist attack on Burkina Faso hotel leaves 28 dead and 50 injured" was written by Tracy McVeigh, for The Observer on Saturday 16th January 2016 23.37 UTC

Burkina Faso became the latest country to fall victim to Islamist extremism in attacks that left 28 people of 18 different nationalities dead and 50 injured.

Four jihadis also died in the assaults, which began at a cafe on Friday night, spreading to two nearby hotels, all popular with foreigners and UN staff, before the 12-hour siege finally ended.

The militants claimed to be from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb-affiliated group al-Mourabitoun, the same group that took part in the storming of the Radisson hotel in Mali’s capital city last November when 19 people died. They released an audio tape claiming responsibility entitled: “A message signed with blood and body parts.”

The masked attackers – including at least two women, according to witnesses – opened fire on customers sitting on the terrace of the Cappuccino Cafe and then moved into the adjoining Splendid hotel in the west African state’s capital, Ouagadougou, detonating several bombs that set fire to vehicles outside.

About 156 people inside the Splendid were held hostage, including Burkina Faso government minister Clément Sawadogo, as a gun battle raged between the militants and the police for more than an hour. The battle moved on to a second hotel, the Yibi, before the hostages, many of them badly injured, were freed in a joint operation between French and local security forces.

French first responders tend to a man wounded in the attack. Photograph: Nabila El Hadad/AFP/Getty Images

“They started shooting, shooting, and everybody lay down on the ground,” said Mariette Kineou, who escaped from the Splendid hotel with her younger sister. She described how the killers went from person to person, touching their bodies to see if they moved.

“As soon as you lifted your head, they would shoot straight away, so you had to pretend to be dead. And they even came to touch our feet to check if we were alive. As soon as they knew you were alive, they would shoot at you.”

Burkina Faso’s president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, went to the scene and announced the death toll. Two of the dead were French nationals. Six Canadians died in the assault, and Switzerland lost two citizens and the Netherlands one. The wife and five-year-old daughter of the Italian owner of the Cappuccino Cafe were also among the victims. Four members of the security forces, including one French soldier, were also wounded.

Kaboré said: “Faced with these terrorists and their vile acts, we must mobilise to ensure the appropriate response to put them out of action. We will emerge victorious from this war, which has been imposed upon our people and all other people of the world who want peace and freedom.” He added that the nation would observe three days of mourning.

The Splendid is sometimes used by French troops involved in Operation Barkhane, a force set up to combat Islamist militants across the Sahel region.

As the end of the siege at the Splendid was being announced, reports came in that militants had taken up position at the Yibi, where an attacker was later shot dead.

Vehicles on fire outside the Splendid Hotel. Photograph: Reuters

Remi Dandjinou, the communications minister, said that between six and seven people had attacked the Splendid, adding that they had been staying at the hotel as guests. One of the attackers was recorded speaking Arabic on the phone during the siege. He is said to have made a reference to avenging western cartoons of the prophet – thought to be a reference to Charlie Hebdo – and issued threats to France that were broadcast by al-Qaida after the attack.

Al-Mourabitoun emerged in 2013, led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a man thought dead by the French until recently. The group has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida and declared itself “al-Qaida in West Africa”. It is ambitious to establish itself as a dominant armed group in the region, making guerrilla attacks on French troops across the Sahel.

In another development, two Australian citizens – a doctor and his wife – were kidnapped overnight in northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali. It is not clear if their whereabouts are known or who was responsible for taking them.

Burkina Faso recently held its first presidential election since a coup earlier last year that toppled long-time leader Blaise Compaoré, who had governed with an iron fist for 27 years. Its new president has only been in office for three weeks.

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Islamist attack on Burkina Faso hotel leaves 28 dead and 50 injured