Several Hostages Freed in Mali’s Sevare After Hotel Attack

Some hostages held by armed men at a hotel in Mali’s central town of Sevare have been freed by Malian forces, AFP reports citing military sources.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – One source told the news agency early on Saturday that "a number" of hostages had been freed overnight, while a second source said the rescued people included fiver foreigners "who were evacuated to Bamako."

The nationalities of the freed foreigners are unknown.

On Friday, a group of unidentified armed men attacked a small private hotel in the town of Sevare, about 370 miles north-east of the capital of Mali, Bamako.

A diplomatic source in the Russian Embassy told RIA Novosti on Friday that the government of Mali had reported that a Russian citizen, employed by the UTair airline, was among the hostages.

Seven people, including Malian soldiers and at least two gunmen were reportedly killed in the Friday attack. The total number of hostages currently being held at the hotel is unknown. According to some reports at least 10 gunmen remain at the hotel.

Former French colony Mali has been engulfed in unrest since a 2012 military coup triggered insurgencies of separatist Tuareg tribes in the country's north. The uprising then attracted Islamist groups with links to al-Qaeda.