« When we arrived in Mopti, we were housed in a school. We received plenty of supplies, » shares one displaced resident from Kouakourou with deep gratitude. Rice, tea, sugar, oil, powdered milk—all provided by an anonymous donor, with the town hall coordinating the distributions. »

« But living in a school is far from ideal, » he laments. The courtyard has become a makeshift sleeping area for many, while others cram into classrooms during rain. It’s unbearably tough. Food isn’t scarce, but this isn’t living. Over 400 of us are squeezed into the school. »

Today, the village of Kouakourou stands abandoned. After an ultimatum issued by JNIM jihadists, residents had no choice but to flee. « Being forced to leave your home, to abandon everything you own—it’s devastating, » recounts another displaced villager. « All we want is to return. Some left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The terrorists even took our phones. Worse, we were in the middle of preparing for the farming season. We’ll have to forgo this year’s harvest—it’s a heavy loss. »