In Koro, local infrastructure struggles to accommodate the influx, and major challenges remain in meeting the most basic needs of the refugees.
Burkinabè refugees have been streaming into Koro in central Mali since May 26. Local authorities estimate the number at several thousand.
These displaced people fled violence following threats from jihadist armed groups.
“We saw two men arriving on a motorcycle. I think they were messengers. We were terrified,” Hamsetou told me. She reached Koro with her daughter and other family members after armed groups visited the village of Sia in the Gomboro department of central Burkina Faso.
“They came to us on the day of our weekly market and ordered us to leave our village before sunrise,” she added. “So we left that night, taking the road to hide in neighbouring villages. The next day we took a taxi to Koro.”
“They ordered us to leave our village before sunrise” (displaced woman)
“We left everything behind”
Hamsetou plans to settle permanently in Koro, waiting for calm to return to her village. Besides Sia, most people from Gani, Bouli, Kogan, Ganagoulo, and Kouéré have also fled the violence and found refuge in Mali. Nearly three-quarters of the refugees are women and children.
Oumou, a resident of Ganagoulo, explained that on May 26 she saw armed men heading toward the neighbouring villages of Bouli and Gani. “They then came to our village and told us we would face the same fate. That’s when we decided to flee, leaving everything behind — our homes, our granaries, our animals. Some walked, others used tricycles, carts, or bicycles to reach Koro.”
Oumou finally made it to Koro with her husband and four children, all safe and sound.
According to Issa Sagara, deputy mayor of Koro, the reception, shelter and food conditions for Burkinabè refugees remain precarious. He calls for a general mobilisation. The refugees are currently spread across several sites in the town and its surroundings.
