Mali: in Djenné, thousands of people showed their support for the police

A Malian soldier between Mopti and Djenne in February 2020 (Illustrative image) © MICHELE CATTANI / AFP

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2 min

This city in the center of the country is tired of the onslaught of terrorism.

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With our correspondent in Bamako,

Kaourou Magassa

Usually quiet, the streets of Djenné were in turmoil this Sunday. Banners displaying "support for the defense and security forces and calling for the safety of people and property" are waved by a compact crowd to the sound of vuvuzelas. According to the organizers of the demonstration, more than 3,000 people from all over the district responded to the call of the customary and administrative authorities. According to them, Djenné has recorded more than a hundred deaths and the theft of thousands of head of cattle since April.

Originally from the area and former deputy for Djenné, Baber Gano, one of the organizers of the event, explains: “ 

If we do not resolve the issue of insecurity, nothing is possible and cannot be done in Djenné.

The populations are very worried about the exasperation of this security crisis.

It has seen a terrible upsurge in recent times.

 "

In the Djenné circle, some areas are marshy and liable to flooding during the rainy season.

Mobility is reduced and the villages are difficult to reach with heavy equipment.

The patrols of the security forces are struggling to stem the terrorist pressure, leaving the populations to their fate.

“

 It should still be understood that defense and security cannot be outsourced.

So if the state is really absent, its population is obliged to really take up arms in order to defend itself.

So each time, we see that there is self-defense so we would like to create a new permanent security post to be able to respond to its jihadist attacks.

 "

According to local authorities, the fighting between jihadists and groups of Dozo hunters have, in addition to a hundred deaths, caused more than 270 households to flee their fields and pastures.

Families deprived of their means of subsistence at a time when the wintering season is nevertheless favorable for agriculture. 

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