Plan B Forum

Gunmen have attacked a hotel used by westerners in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, in west Africa.

Eyewitnesses said two car bombs went off outside the Splendid hotel at around 19:30 local time (same as GMT).

Three to four masked men then stormed the Splendid Hotel, which is used by UN staff and westerners, witnesses said.

A member of staff at the nearby Cappuccino cafe told Agence France Presse that "several people" had been killed there.

Local media report that at least one person has been taken hostage inside the building.

One jihadi monitoring group said al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed it was behind the attack.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing exchanges of gunfire between the men and security forces, as well as sporadic gunfire from inside the four-star hotel close to the country's international airport.

At least one car was seen burning outside the building.

Three hours after the attack started, an Associated Press reporter at the scene reported seeing soldiers in an armoured vehicle arrive in the area.

In the latest developments:
Local TV station Burkina 24 says that security forces are preparing to intervene
France's ambassador to Burkina Faso, Gilles Thibault, says a curfew is in place until 06:00 local time
The US embassy in Ouagadougou says it is aware of the incident and is "closely following" the situation

Burkina Faso's government says 26 people were killed and a further 56 injured after Islamist militants attacked a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, popular with foreigners.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has said it carried out the attack, which began on Friday night.

Those killed come from at least 18 different countries, and include two French nationals and two Swiss.

Burkina Faso is to observe 72 hours of national mourning for the victims.

The siege at the Splendid Hotel was declared over after a joint operation by local and French security forces.

At least four attackers died in the assaults. There were claims that some of those involved were women.

As well as the luxury hotel, a cafe and another hotel nearby were targeted.