Recent arrivals to the refugee camp
Violence and insecurity in northern Mali has not stopped, despite a peace agreement in 2015. Although the majority of refugees crossed to Mauritania in 2012 and 2013, some families have arrived more recently. One of the new arrivals is Abel Ba, a community leader who fled his village of Nampalá in 2015. He was a nomad livestock farmer, “I had 400 sheep, but we had to leave abruptly, so we left everything behind. All you see in this tent comes from relief aid,” he says. Abel arrived with 64 people from his extended family.
For nomads, being a refugee represents a challenge in many ways. Their traditional way of life which centres on being able to roam the landscape is restricted and their diet changes altogether, from mainly animal and milk products to rice, oil and beans.
©EU/ECHO/José Cendón
Recent arrivals to the refugee camp
Violence and insecurity in northern Mali has not stopped, despite a peace agreement in 2015. Although the majority of refugees crossed to Mauritania in 2012 and 2013, some families have arrived more recently. One of the new arrivals is Abel Ba, a community leader who fled his village of Nampalá in 2015. He was a nomad livestock farmer, “I had 400 sheep, but we had to leave abruptly, so we left everything behind. All you see in this tent comes from relief aid,” he says. Abel arrived with 64 people from his extended family.
For nomads, being a refugee represents a challenge in many ways. Their traditional way of life which centres on being able to roam the landscape is restricted and their diet changes altogether, from mainly animal and milk products to rice, oil and beans.
©EU/ECHO/José Cendón