Between two and four attackers were reportedly involved in the assault on Sunday, launched on a beach in the popular seaside town of Grand-Bassam, a weekend retreat for residents of Abidjan, about 25 miles (40km) away.
Local media reported that gunmen had entered the L’Etoile du Sud (the Southern Star) hotel, taking guests and staff in the building hostage. A police source told Reuters that up to a dozen people were killed in the attack.
“For the moment, we have a total of 12 dead, including four Europeans ... We don’t know yet if there are others. We are doing clean-up operations right now,” the officer told security forces during a briefing attended by a Reuters reporter.
The attackers were “heavily armed and wearing balaclavas” and “fired at guests at L’Etoile du Sud, a large hotel which was full of expats in the current heatwave”, a witness told AFP.
A military official told Le Monde Afrique that gunmen ordered their victims to shout “Allahu Akbar” before shooting them and that one jihadi was killed while two others fled. Local reports claimed the gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they opened fire, though it was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
Another witness told France24 that six people were killed and several others were injured in the shooting. Graphic pictures appearing to show at least four dead bodies were posted on social media.
“I saw seven dead that I filmed. There were four attackers. I was swimming when it started and I ran away,” said Dramane Kima, who showed the video of the bodies to Reuters.
He also took pictures of grenades and ammunition clips that he believed had been left behind by the attackers. A Reuters witness saw two wounded people.
One witness said the gunmen shot a child although he was kneeling down and begging for mercy. The witness said a woman was also shot.
Special forces in the former French colony were on the scene and the beach where the shooting began was evacuated.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said officials were “urgently” trying to establish whether any British nationals had been caught up in the incident.
In its travel advice, the FCO advises against all but essential travel to the western regions of Dix-Huit Montagnes, Haut-Sassandra, Moyen-Cavally and Bas-Sassandra. It said of Sunday’s attacks: “On 13 March, there have been reports of an armed attack at Grand-Bassam resort, near Abidjan. You should avoid the area if possible. If you are in the vicinity follow the instructions of the security authorities.
“There is a high threat from terrorism. You should be vigilant after recent attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners.”
Attacks in recent months on luxury hotels in the capitals of neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso have killed dozens of people, leaving west African nations scrambling to boost security in the face of a growing jihadi threat.
Analysts have voiced fears that Islamist attacks could spread to countries such as Ivory Coast and Senegal, and the region’s US-led Flintlock military exercises that wrapped up recently focused on the need to counter jihadism.
Grand-Bassam, which has about 80,000 inhabitants, holds Unesco world heritage status for its elegant colonial-era facades.
The attack took place nearly two months after Islamist fighters killed dozens of people in a hotel and cafe frequented by foreigners in neighbouring Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, raising concern that the reach of militancy in west Africa was spreading.
Source: The Guardian
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