Residents of Timbuktu in northern Mali are suffering as a result of a siege imposed by extremists
Residents of Timbuktu in northern Mali initially believed that the jihadists’ announcement of the siege was merely intimidation, according to a local civil society official. Today, they face the full reality of the threat after becoming almost isolated from the world.
UN peacekeeping forces patrol in Kidal (Mali) July 23, 2015 (Reuters)
Abdul Aziz Muhammad Yahya said: “We thought they were just voice messages to spread fear, but today what we are experiencing, frankly, is the siege.”
The “Support for Islam and Muslims” group, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, which has been fighting the Malian authorities for years, said in a series of messages published in early August that it had “declared war” on the Timbuktu region.
Talha Abu Hind, a local leader in the group, warned trucks coming from Algeria, Mauritania and other places in the region against entering the city, stressing that those that do not heed the warning “will be targeted and burned.”
Testimonies collected by Agence France-Presse at the scene and over the phone tell the diaries of tens of thousands of residents of the “City of 333 Saints” and the “Pearl of the Desert,” with a history and heritage extending for centuries, since this announcement.
Trucks no longer enter the city, and residents are leaving at their own risk, as essential necessities begin to run out and shells continue to fall far away.
Witnesses reveal their identity openly, while others ask not to reveal it for their safety.
One resident who had just returned to Timbuktu, riding a motorcycle from Gondam, 80 kilometers to the southwest, said he was alone on the road.
He added: “I only met heavily armed jihadists carrying machine guns on motorcycles.”
Due to the very danger of the road, the Niger River, which flows in the south, provided an alternative for transporting goods and people. But this solution was canceled on September 7, due to an attack claimed by jihadists that resulted in the killing of dozens of civilians on board the Timbuktu boat belonging to the public maritime company Comanave. The company’s agent announced that navigation had been halted until further notice.
“not possible”
As for flights, Sky Mali, the only company flying planes to Timbuktu, suspended its activity after a missile attack inside the airport’s vicinity.
The jihadists are seeking to expand their control over the rural areas surrounding cities, not necessarily through a plan to seize better-defended towns, but through a strategy that is supposed to increase pressure on the state.
The military council, which faces many security challenges in almost all parts of the country and renewed tension in the north, downplays the importance of the effects of the siege, which it is careful not to describe by that name.
In the city, commercial activity is declining. Omar Baraka, head of a youth association, confirmed: “If you take a tour of the city, you will find trucks parked and unable to move. “No trucks enter Timbuktu anymore.”
Trader Baba Muhammad, for his part, said: “We are in a crisis. “A lot of sugar, milk, and oil no longer arrive in the city,” expressing his concern that “if things continue like this, many stores will close their doors.”
In this poor and neglected region, consumers pay the price for shortages and speculation. Baraka pointed out that “the price of a liter of gasoline has become 1,250 CFA francs (about 1.9 euros), while its price is 700 francs.”
Abdulaziz Muhammad Yahya said, “The situation is unbearable. The people of Timbuktu are suffering.”
“With pain”
The security situation also raises concerns, especially since the United Nations mission has now left the region after being expelled by the military junta. Since the beginning of their withdrawal, the jihadists have tightened their grip.
“People usually go out to have a good time,” a Timbuktu resident said. But all that began to subside, due to the shells falling in the street. “People are very afraid.”
In addition to expanding jihadist influence, the threat of attack from Tuareg- and Arab-dominated rebel groups must be taken “seriously.”
One civil society official said that these groups had “emptied stores,” most likely in anticipation of a possible counterattack.
These groups took control of Timbuktu in 2012 before it was controlled by the jihadists, who caused an uproar by violating and destroying a number of shrines included on the World Human Heritage List.
This official pointed out that “the streets are empty, the atmosphere is dark, and anxiety prevails.”
To ease the situation, another civil society official recommends that the authorities talk to the jihadists.
But he does not count on that: “The population is very afraid of the authorities, and Bamako says that there is no siege and that they will not negotiate with terrorists. “I don’t see any way out.”
On September 5, Malian Prime Minister Chouguel Koukala Maiga praised the strength of resilience while meeting with representatives of Timbuktu and said: “We have to sacrifice everything for a while to change this course. This must be done with pain.”
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2023-10-01 02:38:45
