Two different Islamist jihadi groups have said they were behind massacre at a hotel in Mali.
President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta said 19 people were killed and a further seven injured after militants seized 170 hostages at the Radisson Blu in Bamako.
Two Islamist militants were also killed.
There was fear and panic in Mali on Friday as one of the capital's most exclusive hotel's came under attack from gunmen.
European, US and other citizens were taken hostage as the armed attackers stormed the Radisson Blu hotel and barricaded themselves inside before security forces were able to get in and evacuate those being held.
As many as 170 people were held hostage for several hours during the siege and at least 27 bodies have been recovered since the hostage situation ended.
ITV News Africa Correspondent John Ray reports:
A hotel in Mali's capital was targeted by gunmen in an attack which killed 27 and saw 170 people held hostage for several hours.
Bamako is two and half thousand miles from Paris; but in another capital, the same nightmare has unfolded.