In Mali, the 3,000 inhabitants of Farabougou are no longer alone in their village, cut off from the world. Soldiers from the Malian army were able to set foot on Thursday at this locality in the center of the country, while jihadist fighters had banned entry for 17 days. This Friday morning, the Malian army gave some details about its intervention.
The operation was christened “Farabougou ka lafia”, “Farabougou must find his peace” in Bambara. It was personally led by Colonel Assimi Goita, leader of the military junta that led the coup on August 18, now vice president of the transition.
Before the coup, Assimi Goita had led the Malian special forces in the center of the country. He was therefore on Thursday in the military camp at Bapho near Ségou to command this operation, which according to the Malian army allowed “liberation” of the village “from the hands of the terrorists.”
► Also read: Who are the attackers of Farabougou?
Elements from the Malian Special Forces arrived at the village on Thursday, dropping off helicopters “near a section” in several rotations, said the families, who also provided food and evacuated patients.
In the photos provided by the Army, we see soldiers leaving a Farabougou resident, visibly weakened, at the point of being taken care of by a military medicine.
Above all, the Malian army promises “other movements and actions” and especially “an air campaign” aimed at “destroying other bases of terrorist groups”.
The still living area
The arrival of Malian soldiers to the village is an event more than two weeks after the start of the blockade it was subjected to. The site seems safe, but Malian soldiers arrived by helicopter, and jihadist fighters are still present in the area.
This Friday morning, a local elected official reported that the village of Kourouma-Kobé, just nine kilometers from Farabougou, was “under fire from jihadist fire.” An attack confirmed by the army. Only one wounded should be lamented, according to a locally elected official, specifying that the traditional dozo hunters were able to repel the attackers before an air surveillance of the Malian army was introduced.
The situation on the ground is therefore far from reassuring, especially as the mediation process, which was nearing completion, is now very compromised.
On Thursday, the movements of the Malian army caused the cancellation of a meeting scheduled between representatives of Farabougou and the jihadists. Because the siege of Farabougou by these warriors is not only motivated by ideological issues, it is superimposed on a conflict between communities between Bambaras and dozo hunters on the one hand and Fulani pastoral communities on the other. With mutual accusations of murder and suffocation.
This is all that mediation has been trying to find answers to for several days. And the meeting had to act accordingly local brokers, the lifting of the blockade. It was postponed to this Friday, but given the developments on the ground, it is difficult to see how the dialogue could continue.
Brokers are upset and now fear a cycle of violence and retaliation that could pay the price for civilians. Quoted by the Army, Vice President Assimi Goita assures us that the military will act “with professionalism to minimize security damage.”
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