Mali: Shooting at bar leaves at least 5 people dead

(Baonghean) - On Friday night, early Saturday morning, March 7, a shooting took place at a bar - a place frequented by many foreigners in the capital Bamako, Mali. Police said the shooting left at least 5 people dead and many others injured.

Police cordon off the scene of a shooting in the capital Bamako, Mali. Photo: AFP/Habibou Kouyate

On Saturday morning, authorities said the five victims of the shooting included a Frenchman, a Belgian, two Malians and a Westerner of unknown nationality. However, the death toll could rise as many others were in critical condition. Hospital officials said three Swiss were among the injured, one of whom was seriously injured. In addition, the head of the UN program in Mali (Minusma) announced that “two international experts working for the UN” were also wounded in the shooting.

Details of the shooting are still being clarified. But according to witnesses, the shooting took place at around midnight local time at La Terrasse – a bar frequented by many foreigners and located in the Hippodrome nightlife area. First, the attacker threw grenades on Princesse Street, but fortunately none of them exploded. He then went up to La Terrasse and carried out the shooting before fleeing in the car of an accomplice.

Some witnesses said that after leaving the bar, the attackers shouted “Allah Akbar” (God is great) but the information has not been verified. The police have only said that the shooting was a terrorist incident and that they are currently “clarifying” the incident. It is known that on Saturday morning, the police arrested two attackers and began interrogation.

After receiving the news, French President Francois Hollande strongly condemned the attack. At the same time, the French Embassy in Bamako also sent a "caution" notice to all its citizens in Mali. The Paris prosecutor said they would conduct an investigation to clarify the incident. It is known that French law allows for the opening of such an investigation when a French citizen is the victim of a crime that takes place abroad.

Chu Thanh(According to LeMonde 7/3)