When we arrived in Mopti, we were housed in a school. Many provisions were provided—rice, tea, sugar, oil, powdered milk… shares a displaced resident of Kouakourou, with deep gratitude. A private donor arranged everything, and the local authorities coordinated the distributions.

But living in a school is far from ideal, he laments. Some sleep outside in the courtyard. When it rains, we cram into classrooms. It’s unbearable. The food supply is steady, but this isn’t living. Over 400 of us are squeezed into the school.

Kouakourou now stands empty. After jihadist groups issued an ultimatum, residents had no choice but to flee. Being forced from our homes, leaving everything behind—it’s devastating, another displaced villager confides. All we want is to return home. Some left with only the clothes on their backs. The attackers even took our phones. To make matters worse, we were midway through preparing for the farming season. We’ll have to abandon it, and that’s a heavy loss.