In Mali, the livestock market of Faladiè, located on the outskirts of Bamako, was completely leveled by bulldozers on Sunday (19.04). This action follows a government directive issued in September 2024. In the wake of jihadist strikes by Jnim against the gendarmerie school and other strategic military locations in the capital, Mali‘s leadership decided to relocate several cattle markets, alleging they served as cover for insurgent fighters. However, the Faladiè “garbal” was also a refuge for internally displaced persons, primarily from the central regions of the country. Consequently, hundreds of families have been cast into the streets without any aid.
“It has been six years since we fled our home village,” notes Dado, a mother in her 40s from the Bankass circle in central Mali. She escaped the violence in her region back in 2020, bringing her family with her.
“We believed we were safe in the capital”
“There are seven of us in total: my mother, my two daughters, and my three sons. The conflict forced us to seek safety in Bamako. We always felt that we would be protected here,” she shared.
Beyond Dado and her relatives, nearly 300 families residing in the displacement camp at the Faladiè garbal are now homeless. Over 2,000 individuals, primarily women and children, are stranded in a ruined landscape, struggling with a lack of medical care and basic sustenance.
The issue with the Sanankoroba relocation site
According to official plans, the internally displaced persons evicted from Faladiè are meant to be moved to Sanankoroba, situated 35 kilometers from Bamako. While the state claims to have prepared a site there, several livestock traders have described the location as “non-functional.”
At this stage, Dado’s only hope is to secure a new home for her family.
“Now that we are being told to leave, we accept it because we have no choice. But we are pleading with the authorities to provide us with a genuine alternative for relocation,” Dado urged.
“We came here because we were terrified of the war. Before this eviction, we survived by collecting waste and food scraps to sell to cattle farmers. Now, we have nothing: no water, no food. But the most desperate need is shelter. For someone with nothing, finding a roof is the first priority,” another displaced person explained.
Established in 2019, the informal camp at the Faladiè garbal previously received support from international and local humanitarian groups, as well as the Mali government. Inquiries were made to the Direction nationale du développement social, but the agency stated it was “too early” to provide a formal comment on the situation.