On the morning of April 7, 2022, on either side of the Gao-Niamey axis, tents shelter the survivors of the fighting in Tessit and Talataye, having opposed between February and March 2022 AQMI [Al-Qaida au Maghreb islamique] et l’EIGS [État islamique au Grand Sahara]. It was [pour] the control of territories in the “three borders” area [zone frontalière du Burkina Faso, du Mali et du Niger, marquée par une concentration de menaces sécuritaires].
And the majority of those displaced by these battles come from the Daoussahak communities [pasteurs berbères] and shamanama [tribu touareg de la région de Ménaka]accused of supporting the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) [mouvement politique et militaire touareg né en 2016 d’une dissidence d’avec le Mouvement national de libération de l’Azawad (MNLA)]. The same MSA is accused in turn of being a henchman of Malian power.
The Wretched of Malian Earth
During this time, the poor populations, those displaced from war zones, suffer prejudice, accusations of intelligence with the enemy, humiliations, etc. Damned in their own land.
A climate of terror and fear reigns in the north. “We are afraid of them, and they are afraid of us”, tells me a resident of the city of Askia. When is the reconciliation?
The fear is also that of dying stupidly because of a hidden artisanal mine. It is also that of being kidnapped by mafia groups swarming in the area. It is that of racketeering or theft of cattle. It is the reign of order without faith or law.
For example, the number of closed schools in Gao is climbing: around 177. Almost 30 village chiefs have abandoned their villages under pressure from EIGS and AQIM. Intolerable.
The absence of the state has favored the development of narco-terrorists. What are we waiting for to act against the risks of security chaos and organized crime?
In Bamako, the transitional authorities seem to be stuck in a kind of imbroglio. The announced transformation, that of refoundation, would be more communicative than