Mali will begin three days of national mourning on Sunday at midnight local time following a shooting attack at a hotel in the capital of Bamako that left at least 19 people dead.
Mali’s President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced the mourning period on Saturday, a day after gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu hotel, which is popular with travelers and tourists, and opened fire. The victims include six Russians, three Chinese, two Belgians, one American, one Israeli, one Senegalese, and several Malians.
“Mali will not shut down because of this attack,” Keita said. “Paris and New York were not shut down and Mali won’t be. Terrorism will not win.”
Neighboring Guinea joined Mali in its mourning on Sunday. President Alpha Conde said his country will also observe three days of mourning, and urged citizens to be vigilant about reporting suspicious activity to police.
Mali has declared a 10-day state of emergency while police search for suspects in connection to the attack. Malian Army Major Modibo Nama Traore told the AP Sunday that security forces are looking for “more than three” people connected to the attacks. News outlets reported that two attackers were killed when special forces stormed the hotel to rescue trapped patrons.