About 20 people were killed at Splendid Hotel, a luxury facility in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso capital, during an attack staged by suspected militants of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The attackers reportedly stormed the hotel, which is popular with Westerners and French soldiers based in the country, and a nearby café on Friday, after setting off bombs. Security forces stormed the place and engaged them in a gun battle, resulting to the liberation of about 120 hostages. According to the BBC, exchanges of fire are continuing at the hotel as special forces seek to break the deadly siege. Remi Dandjinou, the Burkinabe communications minister, told the BBC there were between six and seven gunmen and they had been staying at the hotel. He also said Clement Sawadogo, the country’s minister of public works, was among those freed at the hotel, adding that 33 people were in hospital receiving treatment. Simon Compaore, interior minister, said 10 bodies had been found on the terrace of the nearby Cappuccino cafe. The SITE monitoring group, which analyses jihadist networks, says AQIM has claimed responsibility for the attack. In November, AQIM launched an attack on a hotel in Bamako, capital of Mali, leaving 19 people dead. Similar attacks have taken place in Egypt, Tunisia and different parts of Africa. Burkina Faso had recently held its first presidential election since a coup earlier last year. That coup toppled long-time leader Blaise Compaore, who had governed for 27 years. The new government, which was appointed on Wednesday following the election of President Roch Marc Kabore in November, was due to hold an emergency cabinet meeting, according to Reuters
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