I just became aware of this through Sarah Castle, a fellow Mali veteran. This dam has been in construction for several years and was nearing completion. Some of the managerial South Korean staff used to stay in my hotel now and then...yesterday morning the dam suffered a serious attack:
Destruction of the construction site of a dam near Djenné
By RFI -
Suspected
armed jihadists attacked and burned down early Thursday, March 8 the
construction site of a dam in central Mali, near the city of Djenné, in the
region of Mopti.
According to
one witness, there were about 30 armed men, suspected jihadists on motorbikes.
They regrouped the site workers, including South Koreans, before sending
everyone away. Then they set the building on fire.
A 60-ton
crane started to burn. Another 30-ton crane was burned. Vehicles, generators,
parts of the structure that were subsequently to be erected were
destroyed. The attackers then left.
The dam was
to be inaugurated in four months. It will now be necessary to wait several
months. This project, which has three parts, was initially expected to cost
about 35 billion CFA francs, and change the local landscape.
The dam was
going to provide a link the city of Djenné by a bridge. Until now this tourist resort
can only be reached a ferry across the river Bani, a tributary of the Niger
River.
Another
part of the dam was intended to recreate life in this part of Mali. Once
operational, the structure was to allow flooding 50,000 hectares of land
upstream.
What wanton destruction of infrastructure that surely is valuable to anyone, whatever their religious/political inclinations. And really incomprehensible that they set about destroying generators and vehicles. Even Jihadists, surely, would potentially be using the benefits of this dam if they ever came to power- God forbid. I should imagine Guida would agree with me on this...
I have not heard from my people in Djenne yet. Leaving for Mali Sunday morning.
Later: Dembele sent me the pictures above and below just now.
Sooo sad! Take care, Sophie!
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, it is heart breaking.
ReplyDeleteNihilism, not any version of religion, is at the heart of what these people do. Sadly, they have succeeded to an alarming extent in introducing chaos to swathes of Mali. But I know you will find plenty of good wherever you go on your return visit. And I guess you have to be fatalistic, since one cannot prepare for the unexpected, beyond the usual sensible small precautions.
ReplyDelete