Archive for March 2012
Safe in Burkina Faso
A Malian refugee woman and her children in Somgande social center in Ouagadougou. She left the province of Gao in northern Mali for fear of attacks and found refuge in Burkina Faso. On March 9, UNHCR distributed relief assistance to 962 Malian refugees hosted in the center as well as in rented houses in the capital. UNHCR / H. Caux / March 9, 2012
Malian refugees flee to Niger
It has been a while since I posted photos and text on this blog. The last time I did, I was still in Baghdad. I finally left the rocketted city in December and I am now based in Dakar, Senegal – a much more peaceful place than Iraq. At least I thought so until demonstrations and riots started weeks ago following the decision of President Wade to run, at 85, for a third presidential mandate!
I have just spent two weeks on mission in Niger, where thousands of people have found refuge from Mali in the past weeks… Confrontations between the Tuareg rebel movement MNLA (Mouvement National de Liberation de l’Azawad) and Malian governmental forces started mid-January in the northern Azawad region and led thousands of Malian refugees and returning Niger nationals to fled Mali to Niger. At the end of February, an estimated 75,000 people had left Mali to find refuge in Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. Over 80,000 Malians were internally displaced in their country.
The MNLA was created late 2011 by Tuareg mercenaries originally from Mali who had served for years in the Khadafi army in Libya. After the end of the Libyan civil war in 2011, those men returned to Mali heavily armed and reactivated the Tuareg rebellion claiming independence for the Azawad region. Refugees also spoke of bandit groups roving the Azawad region and stealing villagers’ possessions and cattle.
While in Niger, I drove from the capital Niamey to the Niger-Mali border almost every day. Several hour-drive on partly tarmac, partly bumpy sandy and dirt roads. Here are some of the pictures and interviews I collected.
The main place of refugee concentration is Sinegodar, a small desolated village at the border with, in normal times, only some hundreds inhabitants. The area is now overwhelmed with some 5,000 people who left Mali. Most are living in makeshift shelters, like this refugee woman and her daughter. They confectioned the shelters with wooden stick and pieces of cloths. Not very strong to resist the continuous wind. Seeing the refugees sheltered in these basic accommodations reminded me of when I was in eastern Chad in 2004. Refugees from Sudan (Darfur) were then arriving in mass to Chad to escape fighting between Janjaweed militia and rebel movements. Same desolation, same uncertainty about the future, same basic accommodation exposed to a capricious weather. UNHCR / H. Caux / February 2012
Exposed to the wind and sun at day, and cold at night
Most people in Sinegodar come from Anderamboukane, a village located only 18 kilometres away, on the Malian side. Agaly (on the left) is a teacher there, as well as the director of the school. The 37 year-old man found refuge in Sinegodar with his pregnant wife and their two other children early February. This is what he told me:
“People just could not stay in Anderamboukane. Well-armed men entered the village, early morning on a Thursday at the beginning of February. They attacked military structures as well as administration buildings. They destroyed houses at the military camp, as well as military vehicles. They were superior in number and had much better equipment than the militaries who were stationed there at that time. They were shooting, panic spread quickly amongst the inhabitants. There was panic with the women and the children, and even amongst the civilians who did not have any weapons to defend themselves. People were afraid because of the noise of the shooting, they were not used to that noise. It is the first time in our village that we are confronted to such attacks.
“The trip from Anderamboukane to Sinegodar was very difficult, because the women were holding hands with children, they came by foot, the luggage were on their heads, some refugees had carts to move and those who had few financial means, were using vehicles, 4X4 cars which belonged to private people in order to come here in Sinegodar. Some were also coming on donkeys’ backs. I rented a car because my wife was nine month pregnant. The road was short, only 18 kilometres, but in a very bad state and I was scared that my wife would suffer.
We first stayed in a makeshift shelter, it was very windy. Then I decided to rent a home in Sinegodar for my wife who had just given birth in the camp, only one week after we arrived in Niger. I just could not let her and my newborn son in the makeshift shelter exposed to the cold at night and the wind. I pay 7,500 CFA for the house ($US 16 a month)”.
The people of Sinegodar welcomed us like brothers, including the chief of the village. We shared meals together the first days, because this is the African family. When someone prepares food, there are 7 or 8 persons around the meal, we share it. Then the government of Niger quickly put in place an emergency food programme. They gave us mile and other products. And the humanitarian agencies started to help us as well.
“We hope that this situation will end up in a good way so that people can enjoy their well-being and return back home.” UNHCR / H. Caux / February 2012
This Malian refugee woman is in Mangaize refuge settlement, she is waiting for food distribution from the local authorities. She looked as if she was anxiously thinking about her future. She fled Menaka town in Mali in January with her family because of the general insecurity. UNHCR / H. Caux / February 2012
Some joy, young refugee girls gather in the refugee site in Mangaize. They fled Menaka town in Mali in January with their families because of the confrontation between a Tuareg rebel group and Malian forces. Refugees also spoke of bandit groups roving the Azawad region and stealing villagers' possessions and cattle.. UNHCR / H. Caux / February 2012
In Gaoudel, another refugee area in Ayorou district, Zoulfa told me that she fled her village of Souggan in Mali with her children. "Dozens of men entered my village some weeks ago and stole everything. I came here with my 4 children, my husband stayed behind in the bush to take care of our goats". Many children on the refugee site have eye infections, diarrhoea and respiratory infection. Malaria and cholera are also of concern. The sanitation and water situation is inadequate. In Gaoudel, the new refugees are collecting their water from the Niger river, 3 kilometres away from the refugee sites. Aid agencies have started to distribute some relief assistance and should be transferring the refugees soon to proper refugee camps where they will be able to access all basic services. UNHCR / H. Caux / February 2012
