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A makeshift village in the Mauritanian desert has sheltered thousands of refugees who have fled gardener The fight against terrorists linked to al-Qaeda has intensified in recent weeks.
Strips of cloth tied between sticks serve as houses. Tree branches double as storage. Many people fled without their livestock, their source of livelihood. There is little protection from the intense heat and wind of the Sahel. Still, refugees say it is safer than Mali.
associated Press There was rare access to the border area, where refugees said they were trapped between combatants in the world’s deadliest region for extremist violence, according to the Global Terrorism Index.
Some refugees described alleged abuses by the newest actor in the conflict, a Russian military unit called Afrika Korps, which had replaced Wagner’s mercenary group six months earlier. He said he had witnessed beheadings, burnings and other abuses by units under direct command of Moscow.
The military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have turned to Russia for counterterrorism support after alienating traditional allies including the United States and France.
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not respond to AP’s questions.
But the threat is not only from Afrika Korps. refugeesAid workers and analysts say Mali’s military and militants also commit abuses against civilians. The world sees less of it as access to the country becomes more difficult for journalists, monitors and others.
At a clinic near the border, the family of a 14-year-old girl reported that she was raped by “white men” in an attack that left her so close to death and so traumatized that she remembers nothing about it. Like others, he spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
In one tent a woman was holding a photo of her late daughter. Armed men had attacked his village, killing people, looting houses and shooting at those who tried to escape. The 18 year old daughter had a seizure due to the sound of gunshots.
What happened next, the woman said, “remains between God and me.”
When the attackers retreated, they found that their son had been shot dead. His daughter died during a trip to Mauritania. Only the photo remains. ,
This is a documentary photo story curated by AP Photo editors.