10 day state of emergency declared in Mali after terrorist attack

November 23, 2015

10 day state of emergency was delcared in the Mali by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita following terrorist attack in country’s capital city Bamako.
Apart from declaring state of emergency, President also has declared three days of national mourning to condemn this terrorist attack.
Background

On 20th November 2015, Islamist militants in the Islamic Maghreb called al-Murabitoun group, affiliated to Al-Qaeda had attacked on a Radision Blu hotel in the capital Bamako killing 21 people.
In this terrorist siege of hotel, more than 130 hotel guests and staff including 21 Indians were held hostage by the terrorists.
Later they were freed when Malian Special Forces, French Special Forces and off-duty US servicemen after they stormed the hotel to break the siege.

About Mali

Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa and is the eighth-largest country in the African continent. The country falls in unstable Sahel region of North Africa which comprises countries affected by terrorism, ethnic conflicts and instability.
In 2012, a military coup led by ethnic Tuareg rebels in Mali had overthrown the democratically elected President and destabilised the northern half of the country by seizing it. The coup was followed by fighting between Tuareg and Islamist rebels.
Later Malian government forces along with the Western troops under a United Nations (UN) mandate led by France were able to reduce the insurgency. They also had held a democratic election to replace the military government, but the new government has little control in the northern part of country.