South Africans, Russian and Ukrainian freed in Mali hotel siege

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Four United Nations contractors, including two South Africans, a Russian and a Ukrainian, were freed when security forces stormed a hotel in central Mali being held by suspected Islamist militants, a spokeswoman for Mali's U.N. mission MINUSMA said.

"MINUSMA is happy to announce that four contracted individuals have been picked up safe and sound. At no point were they discovered by the terrorists in the hotel. They were hiding," Radhia Achouri said.