How 1,000 Syrian refugees ended up in a remote village in Mali
REUTERS/Dimitris Michalakis
In In-Khali, a small Malian village 300 kilometers north of Kidal and near the country's border with Algeria, 100 Syrian refugees, many of them children, wait to pass the border, which is officially closed, to continue their journey toward Europe.
Over the last two months, 1,000 of those refugees, stemming from the large-scale displacement caused by the civil war in Syria, have passed through this desert hamlet according to the Coordination of the Azawad movements (CMA). The CMA controls vast areas in northern Mali, and a Sahlien correspondent met with a representative of the group in In-Khalil. Over 4.2 million people have fled Syria as the result of the country's conflict, according to the UN.
In Mali, the refugees' journey takes them through Nouakchott, in Mauritania, where they arrive by plane, in order to take advantage of the fact that Syrians do not have to have visas to enter the country. They then continue to Bassikounou in southeastern Mauritania near the border with Mali — the town is also the site of Mbera, a major refugee camp for people fleeing instability in Mali.
From there, smugglers transport the Syrians to Ber, a locality in the Tombouctou region of Mali that's controlled by the CMA. Even at that point, the refugees have a long journey through the desert ahead of them. Every day, two to four pick-up trucks loaded with Syrians arrive from Ber at In-Khalil, where difficult conditions await them.
“We welcome them here every day,” Mbareck Ould Mohamed Ali, a citizen of In-Khalil who houses Syrian refugees told Sahelien. “Something needs to be done for these people. They have nothing to eat, nothing to drink.”
REUTERS/Dimitris Michalakis
The route through In-Khalil, which completely circumvents the government-controlled zone of the country, isn't the only one that Syrian refugees use to pass through Mali. A route that goes through Bamako, Mali's capital, had already been revealed following the discovery of a SONEF transportation company passenger bus in Gao which had about 30 Syrians on board. These refugees were in possession of travel documents, including visas from the Malian consulate in Nouakchott. While the bus was stopped for a time, authorities eventually let them continue their journey.
Currently, 87 Syrians displaced by the country's conflict have sought assistance from the UN in Mali, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the country. Of those, 24 are recognized as refugees and 63 have made asylum requests in Mali.
REUTERS/Dimitris MichalakisThe movement of Syrian refugees through government-controlled parts of Mali is hard to specify. In Bamako, the director of SONEF declined to comment on whether the company frequently carries refugees. In Gao, a police officer also declined to answer questions about the presence of Syrians in that town.
Still, the parallel circuit in the CMA zone is busy, and there seems to be a significant number of Syrian refugees transiting through it. According to CMA authorities, the organization attempts to assist the refugees. “The CMA helps any way they can. First by securing, then by sharing the little their men have in the field,” Said Almou Ag Mohamed, a CMA spokesman.
But the CMA is trying to control the influx of refugees in order to make sure they do not end up in In-Khalil. “We are doing our best, but there are a lot of difficulties in welcoming them,” said Loumada Ould Ghana, who is in charge of the security of the CMA in In-Khali. His staff says they asked their colleagues in Ber to keep the newcomers there. Ber deputy mayor Haboul Hamadi, denies that there are any Syrians in the city.
The next step after Mali for Syrian refugees en route to Europe - the crossing into neighboring Algeria - became much riskier since Algeria strengthened its border controls, according to private drivers Sahelien met in In-Khalil who are familiar with the route. The drivers did want to be identified, as they said they feared being arrested and having their vehicles seized by Algerian authorities.
REUTERS/Dimitris MichalakisThe Syrian families in In-Khalil are in a precarious situation.
"We suffered a lot during our trip. There is no water, no food and too much heat,” a Syrian man told Sahelien as the children from his group played in the dusty street. "The desert conditions are not easy, especially for our children. We appeal to the world to help us."
Barbara Tasch translated this article. Read the French-language original here.