Mali's refugee misery spreads with Islamists' advance
Hundreds of civilians have fled as towns on either side of the de facto border between the north and south of Mali have become the scene of fighting between Islamists, Malian troops and, since Friday, the French
The city of Segou used to welcome visitors with a sign for its industrial zone, a scheme designed to encourage industry in this impoverished part of northern Mali. But now the town has a new welcome notice.
Someone has scrawled in broken French in huge red letters on the side of a wall on the outskirts of town: "Our soldiers are at war!"
No one knows how many refugees have arrived in Segou since rebel fighters began advancing south after months of controlling the desert in Mali's north. But hundreds have fled as towns on either side of the de facto border between north and south became the scene of fighting between Islamists, Malian troops and, since Friday, the French.
French troops drove out for their first ground offensive against Islamic insurgents in Mali, with Nigerian troops for the African intervention force expected to arrive yesterday.
Witnesses said yesterday that hundreds of Malian and French troops in armoured vehicles were headed to Diabaly, a town 400 kilometres north of the capital which was seized by the rebels on Monday. Another convoy was seen leaving Bamako in a northerly direction.
One of the refugees caught up in these events is Asadek Dicko, 20, who left his hometown of Timbuktu when Islamists seized control there in April, settling in Mopti, the northernmost town in government control. Dicko spoke in melancholic tones about the fear he felt when the town he had believed was a safe refuge came under threat.