This village in central Mali is still surrounded by jihadist fighters whose ideological claims are superimposed on a conflict between the communities. A situation that continues despite the arrival of Malian army soldiers to the village ten days ago to protect the inhabitants.
After a relative lull, the situation has deteriorated markedly in recent days in Farabougou,and on Sunday morning a soldier was even killed during an attack.
According to one resident, young people cut the brush on the outskirts of the village when the jihadists started firing. Shots fired quickly at the Malian soldiers, who apparently responded.
The collision lasted “almost half an hour”, according to this witness. At the request of the RFI, the Malian army specifies that a soldier was killed but that the response made it possible to repel the attackers.
This Monday morning there the situation was calm. It has been almost a month since the jihadists surrounded Farabougou, and ten days since the Malian soldiers entered the village. But they arrived by helicopter, and since then they, like the inhabitants, have been stationed there.
Food stocks have been delivered several times by plane, but it is impossible to walk on the roads or even in the surrounding fields. Those who risked it last Friday, in the nearby town of Dogofry, were kidnapped by the jihadists before being quickly released. By the beginning of the siege of Farabougou, nine peasants had already been kidnapped, of which we still have no news. Many local sources explain that the jihadists have clearly conveyed the message: a ban on harvesting.
Difficult discussions
For several days, discussions have been initiated with the jihadists. This mediation, led by local notables with the support of the army and the authorities, initially made good progress. Tensions between the communities before the jihadists acted are particularly resolved.
But blockages occurred last week. Several sources within the mediation explain that the jihadists now demand the lifting of the siege in order to recover weapons from the traditional dozo hunters in Farabougou. They also demand that sharia, once perceived, take effect.
Discussions are therefore more difficult, but they continue. A meeting between the members of this communication team, the security forces and the authorities of the circle is also planned very soon. “We will always continue,” explains a broker, “to make each other sense.”
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