Tourist sites targeted in string of Africa attacks

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Mon, 19 Jun 2017 - 02:07 GMT

BY

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 - 02:07 GMT

People carry the body of a victim following a shooting rampage by gunmen at the Ivory Coast resort of Grand-Bassam, on March 13, 2016 – AFP/Sia Kambou

People carry the body of a victim following a shooting rampage by gunmen at the Ivory Coast resort of Grand-Bassam, on March 13, 2016 – AFP/Sia Kambou

PARIS – 19 June 2017: The attack on a holiday resort in Mali popular with Westerners on Sunday was the latest in a series of assaults in Africa targeting locals and tourists alike.

Here is an overview of the worst such attacks in recent years, most of which have been claimed by jihadist groups:

- June 18: At least two people were killed when suspected jihadists stormed the Kangaba tourist resort popular with foreigners on the edge of Mali's capital Bamako. More than 30 hostages were freed.

- June 14: At least six people were killed after a suicide car bomber targeted the popular Posh Treats restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab claimed responsibility.

- March 13: At least 14 civilians and two special forces troops are killed when gunmen storm the Ivorian beach resort of Grand-Bassam. One French and one German national are among the dead, according to the government. Al-Qaeda's North African affiliate, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), claims responsibility.

- January 15: Thirty people are killed, including many foreigners, in an attack on a top Burkina Faso hotel and a nearby restaurant in the capital Ouagadougou. AQIM claims the assault, saying that the gunmen were from the Al-Murabitoun group of Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

- November 20: Gunmen take guests and staff hostage at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital Bamako, in a siege that leaves at least 20 dead, including 14 foreigners. The attack is later claimed by AQIM, which says it was a joint operation with the Al-Murabitoun group.

Another jihadist group from central Mali, the Macina Liberation Front, also claims responsibility.

- October 31: A Russian passenger jet is downed on its way from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort to Saint Petersburg, killing all 224 on board. The Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group claims responsibility. Russia confirms the crash was caused by a bomb.

- August 8: Malian armed forces storm the Byblos hotel in the centre of the country, ending a hostage-taking by gunmen that left at least 12 people dead including four UN foreign contractors.

- June 26: Thirty Britons are among 38 foreign holidaymakers killed in a gun and grenade attack on a beach resort near the Tunisian city of Sousse. The attack is claimed by the Islamic State group.

- March 18: Gunmen kill 21 tourists and a policeman at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, in another attack in Tunisia claimed by IS.

- March 7: A grenade and gun attack on the popular La Terrasse nightclub in Mali's capital Bamako kills five people -- three Malians, a Belgian and a Frenchman. The attack is claimed by Al-Murabitoun.

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