Displaced Malians organise patrols after a series of thefts
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Studio Tamani
Communities in Gao, Macina and Bankass are organising night patrols after equipment, water pumps and livestock were stolen from sites hosting displaced people and refugees. Local leaders are asking the authorities for more resources, while some community initiatives are already helping to monitor facilities, according to Studio Tamani.
Internally displaced people and refugees are organising patrols and security committees in Gao, Macina, Bankass and Sévaré after thefts and acts of vandalism, Studio Tamani reports. In Gao, pumps and equipment from water points were stolen last week from the Bagoundié 1 and 2 sites and the Naata housing estate.
In Bankass, the security committee set up by displaced people has reported no thefts since it was formed, according to its president, Aly Guindo. In Sévaré, young people at the site hosting displaced people from Tougoumbé conduct night patrols but are calling for electricity and lighting to improve surveillance.
Gounzoureye mayor Abdoulkader Younoussa Maïga is urging residents to help identify those responsible for the thefts in Gao. Almahamoud Ag Akilini, who is responsible for sites for internally displaced people in the region, is asking for support from the authorities and well-wishers. In Macina, the theft of a sheep in Némabougou 2 led resident Souleymane Bouaré to call for regular patrols.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
