Two jihadists convicted, sentenced to death for 2015 Mali attacks

A court in Mali has sentenced two men to death over attacks that targeted foreigners in the capital in 2015.

At least 25 people died when gunmen stormed a nightclub in Bamako in March of that year and the Radisson Blu hotel in November.

One of the defendants told the court he was “proud” of his part in the attacks, which were claimed by a jihadist group.

It was a rare trial of jihadists in a country which has been fighting an Islamist insurgency since 2012.

French soldiers have been helping the Malian army, but the government has not been able to take full control of the country.

Fawaz Ould Ahmeida, a Mauritanian militant, said he had attacked La Terrasse nightclub in revenge for cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by France’s Charlie Hebdo magazine.

Three Malians, a Frenchman and a Belgian were killed in that assault. Ahmeida’s Malian co-defendant, Sadou Chaka, was also sentenced to death for his part in it.

Ahmeida was also accused of plotting the Radisson Blu attack.

Two armed men held 170 guests and staff hostage at the during the nine-hour hotel siege, killing at least 20 before security forces stormed the building.

Nine Malians, a Russian flight crew, Chinese construction executives, a Belgian politician and an American aid worker were among those killed.

Both attacks were claimed by al-Murabitoun, an African jihadist group.  ( BBC)