Good News from Mali

An eventful couple of weeks are nearing their end- flying back from Bamako on Monday, to see out the last hours  of this decade in London. I am spending the last days with my American friend Karen and we are doing great long hikes in the hills surrounding Bamako with her dogs almost every morning, so close to Bamako, but yet  so far away from the pollution and bustle of the capital.

The  trip to Timbuktu offered adventures as usual, but those were more caused by tedious UN administration troubles than with any Jihadist threats, and we shall happily consign them to oblivion.

Here is Father Columba and I at the airport, leaving Timbuktu just over a week ago. I got out of our little prop plane at Mopti, where Ishmael waited in the old Merc to whisk me off to Djenne  while Columba  and the rest of our team continued on  to Bamako. 

                                                                                   

When we arried at the bac (ferry) at Sanouna by the Bani crossing I was unwise enough to take pictures of the FAMA (Forces Armées MAliennes) jeep that was boarding the ferry. The commander jumped out and strode up to me in an authoritarian manner, asking for my documents. I gave him my passport but that did not satisfy him for then he asked for my ‘Ordre de Mission’, a paper explaining the reason for my business in Djenne. I gave him the paper that had been prepared for Timbuktu, but  he snarled that the permission  to travel to Timbuktu did not say anything about Djenné. Somewhat put out I explained that I had never needed any justification for travelling to Djenne before. At this point three people appeared from various directions on the little ferry, and were all ready to defend me. The driver of a vehicle belonging to the Djenné hospital, a  small Fulani whom I did not recognize came up and said  ‘mais c’est Madame Keita ! La femme du feu Barou Keita, notre laborantin !’ The commandant, whose name was also by a happy coincidence  Keita, seemed to be encouraged by this and softened visibly. He still wanted to if I knew anyone with authority  in Djenné whom he could call to check my credentials. ‘Sure, I said. You can call the Prefect, the Imam or the Maire, take your pick’. He chose Dra, the deputy Maire and the manager of the Campement Hotel, who was playing Pelotte in Djenné with some of Keita’s other friends, who all noisily vouched for me.    

                                                    

I stayed at the Campement in Djenné  for two nights, mainly to visit the Djenné Manuscript Library since my other business in Djenné has now been put to sleep, both hotel and textile business. It was Djenné that provided the most important and interesting insight in my Malian trip this time : people were positive and optimistic about the future and about the security situation. My usual question ‘what is it like here now ?’ received a reply I had not expected. Everyone I spoke to told me that since the signing of the peace accord everything was fine and calm had returned to the area around Djenné. ‘What peace accord ?’ I asked, and to my great surprise I was told that the Prime Minister Boubou Cissé, in the company of no less than five other ministers, had witnessed the signing of a peace accord between the Dozo hunter militia and the representatives of the Jihadist Macina group in the Mahaman Santara Hall next to the Djenné Mairie on the 7th of August. The peace accord covered the Circle of Djenne, and had been negociated by traditional village leaders, and sanctioned by Amadou Koufa, the founder of the Macina group himself.  The peace has held.

I looked it up on Malijet, and found that indeed it was true, and it had been reported in the Republicain newspaper at the time:

https://malijet.com/a_la_une_du_mali/231365-centre_mali_accord_cessez_feu_signe_milice_.html

But nobody knows about it. It has been total radio silence concerning this great news item- all we ever hear about are massacres and deteriorating security situation in central Mali. Even the MINUSMA people themselves seem to be unaware of it, and when I spoke to a military advisor to the UN that I met at a party on Christmas Day in Bamako he was not aware of it ! and yet it is true and I saw it with my own eyes. The peace accord does not concern the Dogon country, which seems to be steadily deteriorating, but Djenné is fine ! Why doesn’t anyone want to report this ? Hurrah Hurrah  I say !

I took the local bus back to Bamako from Djenné. Here I am at the Carrefour de Djenné with the old sign...