The municipality of Gossi, administratively affiliated with the historic city of Tin Bouktou in northern Mali, has been displaced.
More than five thousand people have fled the border areas with Burkina Faso, fleeing the threat of terrorism. They left everything behind, fleeing to save their lives. They are facing difficult conditions, suffering from a lack of drinking water and food, and overcrowding, with no regard for health precautions, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The testimonies of some on-the-spot witnesses and the videos they sent to the International Organization for Justice and Transparency (IMOHAG) are shocking and warn of a catastrophe unless international bodies and organizations intervene quickly on their behalf.
According to civil society organizations, thousands of destitute refugees have fled Burkina Faso to villages in northern Mali, due to violence perpetrated by extremist groups and criminals, on the one hand, and pressure from Burkinabe security authorities on refugees under the pretext of protecting the volatile borders, on the other. This has ultimately worsened the humanitarian situation of these people, who have lived in a country in turmoil for decades.
One of the displaced, Ms. Wartadid, says: “The circumstances and suffering are the reason we came to Gossi. We were forced to flee, and the situation has become unbearable. We used to work, and some of us sold charcoal to feed our children, but access to the market is no longer possible and we have been barred from doing so. We don’t have anything. We need food, water, even drinking utensils and tents. We no longer have anything.”
Imohag International urgently appeals to international organizations and those with a humanitarian conscience to intervene on behalf of these displaced people before it is too late.
Ayyoub Tahir
President of the International Organization for Justice and Transparency (IMOHAG) in France
