In Mali, the livestock market of Faladiè, located on the outskirts of the capital Bamako, was flattened by bulldozers on Sunday (19.04). This intervention follows a government directive issued in September 2024. In the wake of jihadist attacks by Jnim targeting the gendarmerie school and other sensitive military zones in the capital, Mali‘s authorities decided to relocate several livestock markets, which were suspected of providing cover for insurgent fighters.

However, the Faladiè market, often called the garbal, also served as a camp for internally displaced persons, many of whom originated from the central regions of the country. Consequently, hundreds of families have been cast into the streets without any form of support.

“We abandoned our village six years ago,” recalls Dado, a woman in her forties from the Bankass circle. She fled the violence in her home region with her entire family back in 2020.

“We thought we were safe here”

“Our group consists of seven people: my mother, my two daughters, and my three sons. We moved to the capital because of the conflict, believing that we would finally find safety here.”

Alongside Dado and her relatives, approximately 300 families residing in the displacement camp at the Faladiè garbal have been made homeless. More than 2,000 people, primarily women and children, are now left to fend for themselves in a ruined landscape, lacking both food and medical attention.

Sanankoroba relocation site deemed unready

According to official plans, the internally displaced persons removed from Faladiè are to be sent to Sanankoroba, located 35 kilometers from Bamako, where a state-managed site is supposed to receive them. However, several livestock sellers have testified that the site is currently “non-functional.”

Now, Dado’s only desire is to secure a new home for her family.

“We are told to clear out, and we accept it. We have no other options. But we plead with the authorities to find us another place to settle,” Dado says.

“Fear of the conflict drove us to seek refuge here. Before this eviction, we survived by collecting waste and food scraps to sell to livestock owners. Today, we have nothing: no water, no food. But the most pressing issue is shelter. For someone with nowhere to go, a roof is the absolute priority,” another displaced person explains.

Established in 2019, the informal camp at the Faladiè market had been supported by local and international humanitarian organizations, as well as the Mali government. Efforts were made to contact the National Directorate for Social Development, which stated it was “too early” to comment on the unfolding situation.

By Boureima Amadou — Reporter