In Mali, the Malian army again provides several tons of food aid to the village of Farabougou in the Ségou region. With logistical support from the UN mission in the country, food and medicine were delivered on Thursday, other deliveries are scheduled for Friday to support the inhabitants of this village in the center of the country, surrounded by more than a month of jihadist fighters amid conflicts between communities between traditional Dozo hunters and the Fulani ethnic group.
This conflict not only concerns the village of Farabougou, these disagreements undermine the daily lives of the inhabitants of the entire Niono circle, who have experienced violent clashes and even murders in recent weeks and days.
This is precisely the topic of a major forum organized by the government of Niono. It opened on Thursday in the presence of the governor and four ministers who had made the trip, but it is only since Friday morning that the participants got into the matter.
The interventions follow each other until Saturday night. Mayors, mayors, imams and traditional dozo hunters, four representatives per. Municipality (there are twelve in the Niono circle). Not to mention community leaders and representatives of the Malian state. A large number of them participate in these discussions.
Distrust between Fulani and dozo hunters
At the heart of the problem is the mistrust developed between the Fulani ethnic group and the traditional Dozo hunters. The Fulani are accused by some of collaborating with the jihadists present in the area, especially Katiba Macina of the Islamist and Muslim affiliates of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The traditional Dozo hunters who protect the villages of Bambara are regularly accused of violence against Peuls.
There is reality, there are the amalgamations, but all this has led to this widespread and murderous mistrust. This led to the siege of Farabougou, where the jihadists surrounding the village also have complaints directed at Dozo prisoners. It is a key issue in this forum: to promote mediation in Farabougou.
But there is also everything else, everyday life in the other localities in the area, in Diabali, Nampala, Sokolo, Dogofry … Several participants in the forum indicate that they came to talk about the internally displaced, the thousands of people who fled Their home. village for fear of clashes, creating tensions for especially access to water. The shepherds struggle to sell their cattle because fairs are prevented and roads are blocked by dozo hunters in some cases by jihadist warriors in others.
Murders, kidnappings, cattle thefts, conflicts are more, recurring, and that’s all there is to find a way out through dialogue.
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