Islamic militants storm luxury hotel in Burkina Faso

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An al-Qaeda affiliate known as AQIM claimed responsibility for an attack tonight on a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso popular with Westerners.

Militants stormed the 147-room Splendid hotel and adjacent cafe, taking hostages amid gunfire and explosions. When government forces entered the building to end the standoff, they accidentally set it on fire.

At least 20 people are thought to have been killed, although exact numbers have not yet been released.

The militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in an online post that said its fighters were entrenched in clashes with “the enemies of the religion.”

Today’s attack mirrors a November incident in neighboring Mali, in which militants attacked the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, killing 20 people. AQIM also claimed responsibility for that attack, which lasted seven hours.

Burkina Faso is a Muslim-majority country, but it has faced recent instability following a popular uprising in late 2014. In September, members of the presidential guard launched a coup, and a new government came to power in November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Leigh Jones

Leigh is features editor for WORLD. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate who spent six years as a newspaper reporter in Texas before joining WORLD News Group. Leigh also co-wrote Infinite Monster: Courage, Hope, and Resurrection in the Face of One of America's Largest Hurricanes. She resides with her husband and daughter in Houston, Texas.