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Mali: Why Jihadists Are Taking Over the Sahel — Transcript

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0:07This is the home of the Dogon,
0:10an ethnic group indigenous to eastern Mali.
0:13Steep cliffs dominate the landscape.
0:16Villages were carved out of the rock here in the
0:1915th century.
0:20A decade ago,
0:21this area was the top tourist destination in Mali,
0:24But ever since 2016,
0:26jihadists have wielded control in the region.
0:30This area is now the most dangerous in the country.
0:33Neither the Mali nor French military has a presence here.
0:37Armed men at security checkpoints like this are a rare sight.
0:43This is for our protection because there's no army here.
0:47Our driver,
0:48Moudibour,
0:48knows his way around the area.
0:50He used to drive tourists here.
0:53How's your family?
0:54All's well,
0:55thanks.
0:55Thank God.
0:58These civilians patrol the entrance to the Dogon territory.
1:02We've passed several checkpoints along the way.
1:09Jihadists are constantly trying to infiltrate the area,
1:12so every vehicle is searched.
1:16Only local residents are allowed to pass through.
1:30We're now in Songo.
1:32There's a training camp for hunters here.
1:34They're training right now,
1:35here.
1:38These men are dressed in the traditional uniform of the dozo,
1:42a secretive brotherhood of initiated hunters and warriors.
1:46Armed with knives and old hunting rifles,
1:49the men are highly respected in the area.
1:53They wear amulets believed to have magical powers that make them invisible and even bulletproof.
2:12The Dozo have formed a militia.
2:19Many in the village have joined the Dozo to fight the jihadists.
2:27The Dozo are part of the most powerful militia in the region,
2:31Danambasagu,
2:32with about a thousand soldiers.
2:37Their leader is Youssouf Toloba.
2:40He doesn't often show his face.
2:42Fearing assassination,
2:43he seeks safety in the rocky cliffs.
2:46Commander Martor takes us to him.
2:51We're headed to Kassar.
2:52You'll see where we were attacked.
2:54There are many jihadists there.
2:56Have a good trip.
2:59Thanks.
3:01Martor and his men regularly patrol the cliffs.
3:04This is the last stronghold against the jihadists and must be defended at all costs.
3:13The jihadists burned down the villages.
3:16More than 12 were destroyed.
3:18They stole money and killed many people.
3:21Then they burned down all the houses,
3:23the storage facilities.
3:25They took all the animals.
3:29Although their homes are just 20 kilometers away,
3:33Maton and his men only see their families three times a year.
3:39We don't stay in the city.
3:42We can last a long time out here.
3:44Three,
3:44four months.
3:46We don't even return to the village for a day.
3:49Matour is 25 years old.
3:52Ten years ago,
3:52he dropped out of school to join the dozo and fight.
3:58Three-minute break.
4:01These men are between 25 and 60 years old.
4:04They used to lead peaceful lives as farmers and herders.
4:08Then the jihadists came.
4:13We do this because it's our only option.
4:14They've destroyed our country.
4:17I'm a herder.
4:18The jihadists took all our animals.
4:20We have nothing left.
4:21I was a student in Quran school.
4:24They drove us out and burned all the Qurans.
4:26There's no mosque anymore.
4:28They took all the prayer rugs.
4:29They even took our burial mats.
4:31But we're still here,
4:32so they haven't destroyed everything.
4:33The state doesn't understand what's going on here.
4:38Is that normal?
4:39Are we not part of this nation?
4:41We the land of the Dogon?
4:42Of course we are.
4:46We're at war.
4:47No matter what happens,
4:48we're in this until the end.
4:50We were granted special access to spend a few days with these men.
4:55They'll do everything they can to defend the land of the Dogon,
4:58this small territory in the Sahel.
5:05The Sahel region stretches across Africa,
5:08from the savannah to the desert,
5:09home to both farmers and nomadic herders.
5:16The region spans eight countries,
5:19all plagued by terrorism,
5:21especially prevalent in Mali.
5:25Under the banner of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,
5:29a coalition of jihadist groups came together in 2017.
5:33With its growing influence in the heart of Mali,
5:36the group wants to impose Sharia law.
5:40And the Malian army is ill-equipped to stop them.
5:43Known for its corruption and indiscipline,
5:46the military is failing to hold the jihadists'
5:48advance,
5:49despite the thousands of French soldiers who have been providing support and training in the Sahel for a decade.
6:02Repeated coups have weakened the Malian government and left large parts of the country neglected.
6:08The Dogon have formed self-defense groups.
6:14But without the presence of state authorities,
6:17old tensions between farmers and herders are resurfacing.
6:23When animals are left to roam,
6:24disputes often erupt over grazing areas.
6:27There's constant conflict.
6:29The jihadists exploit these tensions to attract new recruits.
6:34We spoke with four people who regretted signing up.
6:38Everything you do requires their approval.
6:40You have to do things you don't want to do.
6:42They forcefully indoctrinate you.
6:44We are not the only ones who are being tortured.
6:47The only country in the Sahel to successfully hold back the jihadists is Mauritania.
6:54The nation's military is hunting jihadists down both on the ground and in the air with the help of counter-insurgency aircraft.
7:05Don't let the fourth one escape.
7:10Don't worry about it.
7:11Mauritania is using traditional methods as well,
7:15soldiers on camels gathering intel in the desert.
7:25A journey through the Sahel,
7:26which has become home to international jihadists.
7:31In Mali,
7:3260%
7:33of jihadist attacks are carried out in the center of the country.
7:38have surrounded the Dogon territory.
7:41But the cliffs form a natural barrier.
7:45They prevent the jihadists from reaching the plateau and the big cities.
7:58In the cliffs,
7:59the Dhanan Basagu is the only militia mounting a resistance.
8:06Commander Matou and his men are fighting in a hostile environment.
8:11Temperatures can reach 45 degrees Celsius in the shade.
8:16The vegetation is sparse,
8:18as is the food supply.
8:23It's not yet ripe.
8:25In wintertime,
8:26we don't have anything else to eat.
8:31The Dozo rely on support from villagers who climb the steep cliffs to deliver supplies.
8:36Bashir is one of them.
8:40Glory,
8:41respect,
8:42glory to you.
8:45They touch their hands to the ground in greeting.
8:48A sign of utmost respect.
8:51Bashir brings the hunters food.
8:54He returned to his home region a year ago to support the fighters.
9:12Here's the water,
9:13chief.
9:16We haven't eaten anything since yesterday.
9:19We haven't found anything since dinner yesterday.
9:21We're hungry.
9:23We're going to change that.
9:25Yes.
9:26We'll feed you.
9:27I'm counting on you.
9:29But before they sit down to eat…
9:36Commander Matour stations guards around the camp.
9:43Come over here.
9:44Yes.
9:46There are many jihadists there.
9:49Some 30 jihadist units operate on the plains below.
9:53The closest one is only a kilometre away.
9:58From this vantage point,
10:00we're able to see when they climb up,
10:02even without binoculars.
10:04That's why we're here.
10:09We'll clean the rifles.
10:12Are these army rifles?
10:13No,
10:14we found them with the jihadists.
10:15We shot at them.
10:16They died and we took their weapons.
10:20The dozo received no aid from the Malian government or from international troops.
10:26Yes,
10:26operational commander,
10:28what's your location?
10:30Whenever he reaches a crest in the mountain,
10:32Mato calls Toloba.
10:34the leader of the militia for further instruction.
10:38Yes,
10:39the first camp.
10:40Yes.
10:40Okay,
10:41thank you very much.
10:42Thank you very much.
10:46Okay,
10:46let's eat now.
10:48Okay,
10:48let's eat now.
10:55Here,
10:56meal time is holy.
10:58The men eat their food in silence.
11:03without putting down their weapons.
11:10Thank you very much.
11:13Let's go.
11:16About 50 units like this one patrol the cliffs.
11:20One of them is Tolobas.
11:22This war leader stays constantly on the move because he's the jihadists main target.
11:29He avoids media attention,
11:31but with the urging of an intermediary,
11:33he finally agreed to talk to us.
11:42Tell him that you're the only reason I came this morning.
11:44I had no intention of coming.
11:46I don't even meet with people from my village.
11:48You can ask them.
11:50They see me when I pass by,
11:52but that's it.
11:57Toloba left the Malian army 25 years ago to fight the Tuareg Rebellion in northern Mali.
12:05When the jihadists started gaining ground,
12:08he returned to the Dogon territory in 2016 and founded the Danambasagu militia.
12:19All the hunters you see here are Malians.
12:21There aren't any foreigners.
12:24The government doesn't give us weapons.
12:26We're in our caves,
12:27and when jihadists come by,
12:29we kill them and take their weapons.
12:33The army doesn't help us,
12:34France doesn't help us,
12:36no one helps us.
12:38But the locals are on our side.
12:43To this day,
12:44Toloba and his hunters have managed to maintain control of the cliffs.
12:50But the jihadists have carried out several devastating raids over the years.
12:55Since 2016,
12:5612 villages have been pillaged in the commune,
12:59Kasa.
13:04They burned down everything.
13:07The moment they got here,
13:08they gathered all they could and burned it.
13:11See?
13:12What did they burn?
13:14Kitchen utensils and motorcycles over there.
13:17They took the animals.
13:21The jihadists gave the villagers a cruel ultimatum.
13:25Either comply and pay the Islamic tax,
13:28or watch their homes be pillaged.
13:33That was all destroyed and then rebuilt.
13:35There was millet.
13:36Everything was decimated.
13:38Moussa Tolour is the deputy mayor of Kasa.
13:41He's helping residents rebuild.
13:47There was millet and onion planted here.
13:49Everything was destroyed.
13:55They stole everything they could and burned the rest.
14:01The jihadists want to destroy everything that's at odds with their fundamentalist interpretation of Islam.
14:09In 2012 they destroyed mausoleums and tombstones of Muslim saints in Timbuktu,
14:15World Heritage Sites.
14:22They also smashed tribal art,
14:24including these statuettes.
14:26There are countless such treasures in Mali.
14:30Many here believe that natural objects have souls.
14:37The cliff is the last line of defense against the jihadists.
14:41There are only a few routes that lead to the plateau.
14:47Matou and his men risked their lives defending it.
14:53You see this?
14:55Packaging of the ammunition.
14:56And they were eating cookies.
14:59Jihadists tried to enter this way five months ago.
15:03They ate here.
15:04And they attacked us.
15:06You were up there?
15:08Yes,
15:09we were up there and they were below.
15:11How many?
15:13About 100.
15:15We had about 24 men.
15:27At dusk,
15:27the dozo climbed to the summit to watch for jihadists who might try to enter through this access point.
15:42This is where Martor's unit was stationed.
15:45The attack stretched on for six hours.
15:55Our team was here,
15:56yes.
15:57They ran and came with a rocket launcher and many other weapons and ammunition.
16:03They have more resources than we do.
16:07Anyone from your side injured?
16:09There were casualties.
16:11There were?
16:11Yes,
16:12injuries and deaths.
16:14Really?
16:14Yes.
16:16Matou lost seven men during the attack.
16:19But we will never surrender.
16:22Even if we have to sacrifice our lives,
16:24we will do it together because this is our home,
16:26our territory.
16:28The land of the Dogon.
16:30If we had to leave our land,
16:32where would we go?
16:33The military isn't coming.
16:36What else can we do?
16:37There's no other choice.
16:39We're exhausted,
16:40but we're not backing down.
16:44I've never backed down since the day I was born.
16:46That's why they call me Matu.
16:49That means hammer.
16:52The little hammer hits the big stone.
17:04The dozo set up camp.
17:07They have to be especially careful at night to avoid being seen.
17:11The villager Bashir is back with dinner.
17:17The stove needs to go here so you can't see the fire from any distance.
17:22Light is forbidden at night.
17:24If we want to smoke,
17:25we have to hide,
17:26like this.
17:28I've got to hurry.
17:44You see that?
17:48That's how they sleep.
17:49Right on top of the boulders.
17:51Always.
17:53Weapon in hand.
18:12We arrive in Kasa.
18:15The main town here continues to be a target for jihadist raids.
18:22As is customary,
18:23the dozo must remove their hunting clothes and magical amulets before entering.
18:34For more than a year,
18:35children in Kasa haven't been able to attend school.
18:39Teachers fled after the last attack.
18:42The classrooms are used as temporary housing for the hunters.
18:51Matou's meeting with Moussa Tolo,
18:53the deputy mayor.
18:54Hi.
18:56Hello.
18:57How are you?
18:59How's everyone?
19:00All good?
19:00No issues?
19:01Everyone's fine.
19:05God bless you.
19:06You're our sole protectors.
19:07You're the guardians of the fatherland.
19:11The jihadists have tried to attack Kasa six times.
19:15Thanks to Matur and the dozo,
19:17they haven't been successful.
19:20Does the government not listen to you?
19:22Don't they know what's happening?
19:27The government knows what's happening,
19:29but they're afraid to come here because the area is overrun with jihadists.
19:33They're scared.
19:35Even the mayor's not here.
19:36He stays in Koro.
19:42Moussa Tolou is the only government official here who has not deserted his post.
19:47When his superiors fled,
19:48he turned to the traditional spiritual leader,
19:51Hogan.
19:56To discuss the community's economic and security problems.
20:02They took all the grazing livestock.
20:07What do they do with the animals they steal?
20:13I have no clue what they do.
20:15They probably eat them after they've stolen them,
20:17or sell them.
20:23As farmers,
20:24our fortune lies in our oxen,
20:26goats and sheep.
20:27We have nothing more.
20:33An ox costs six times the monthly wage of the average Malian.
20:42With 68 million cattle,
20:44Mali supplies most of the beef in the region,
20:47exporting to Senegal,
20:49Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
20:57But the conflict has destabilized this important economic pillar.
21:02And it's made it harder to source nutritious food.
21:06The 25,000 people who live in Dogon's largest town,
21:10Bandiagara,
21:12have been especially devastated by the scarcity of meat.
21:16Butchers at the market don't have much to do.
21:19The meat shortage has driven up prices 25%
21:23in three years.
21:25That's 3,000 CFA francs.
21:273,000 francs.
21:30A kilo of red meat costs 3,000 CFA now.
21:34That's the equivalent of €4.60 per kilogram.
21:38Two days pay here.
21:40With all the hardships facing locals,
21:42butchers are barely making a profit.
21:47We used to make a lot of money.
21:49Now we don't earn anything.
21:51We don't want to stop working.
21:53That's the way it is right now.
21:56Half of the butcher shops in the market have shut down,
22:00but Amadou Traoré keeps going.
22:05His father,
22:06Camia,
22:06is the president of the Butchers Guild.
22:09It's a family business passed down from father to son since 1942,
22:15but they've never experienced a crisis like this.
22:19Before the war,
22:20Amadou bought about 20 cattle a week.
22:22He's been looking to buy cattle for five days now,
22:26and he's finally found one for sale.
22:31How much for that one there?
22:32390,000.
22:37Could you go down a bit?
22:39385,000 is the minimum.
22:43A bit lower.
22:46I'll do it for 310,000.
22:52315,000.
22:53325,000,
22:54okay?
22:54380,000.
22:58The trader isn't budging.
22:59He already took on a considerable risk by buying the cattle.
23:02He can't afford to sell the animals for a low price.
23:06It was also very expensive at where we bought them.
23:09If you don't buy them,
23:10someone else will.
23:11The journey is difficult and risky.
23:14Risky?
23:15It's extremely risky.
23:17There are many dangers along the way.
23:19But we go out searching for cattle anyway.
23:21There aren't many animals left,
23:23they're impossible to find.
23:24We only find single cattle now.
23:26The other day I drove over 26 kilometers and only found these here.
23:32The conflict has to end.
23:35That's the only way?
23:38It's the only way.
23:38We just want peace.
23:40Everyone must come to the table and negotiate peacefully.
23:43Then things can go back to the way they were.
23:47If Amadou Traoré can no longer afford to purchase cattle,
23:51he might have to close up shop.
23:53He's part of the Foulani ethnic group.
23:55Traditionally nomadic herders,
23:57they're facing increasing harassment by farmers,
24:00jihadists and the military.
24:03Most Foulani are semi-nomadic.
24:05In the dry season,
24:06they migrate with their herds to southern pastures.
24:09But ever since the war broke out,
24:11the state stopped managing the traditional migration routes.
24:15As a result,
24:16The cattle are wiping out crops,
24:19igniting conflict between farmers and herders.
24:24When animals are left to roam,
24:25disputes often erupt over the grazing areas.
24:28There's constant conflict.
24:30For some time now,
24:31the administration has been putting the Fulani under a great deal of pressure.
24:36They take you away and lock you up.
24:38Herders hate being confined.
24:42A herder would pay a million to avoid it.
24:46Malian judges are often corrupt and order herders to pay astronomical fines.
24:52As resentment started to build,
24:55a Fulani man saw an opportunity to recruit his people as jihadists.
25:00His name,
25:00Amadou Koufa.
25:03He called his group Katibat Messina,
25:06referring to the golden age in the
25:0819th century,
25:09when the Fulani and the Messina empire ruled central Mali.
25:16I'd like to thank God for allowing me to live to see the day when thousands of Fulani join the jihadists to fight on this divine path to martyrdom.
25:31Amadou Koufa started out as a preacher in the
25:351990s. At the time,
25:36audio tapes of his sermons were popular among the Fulani.
25:44A fresh stream of recruits allowed Amadou Koufa's group to expand its influence in central Mali.
25:53The town of Moubti lies at the junction of the Niger and Barney rivers.
26:00It's a strategic place of trade between northern and southern Mali.
26:04Since 2019,
26:05the river separates Moubti from jihadist-controlled areas.
26:10Trade between the two sides continues.
26:12Although Sharia law is in full force on the other side.
26:17Now,
26:18when women cross the river,
26:19they must wear a black hijab.
26:21They face beatings.
26:23The punishment for stealing is losing a hand or a foot.
26:36Four former jihadists who used to live across the river agreed to meet with us.
26:41All four are Fulani and say they joined the jihadists because they were persecuted.
26:46This former herder says his village was invaded by the Malian army and attacked by dozo hunters.
26:54They say that all Fulani are jihadists,
26:57but that's not true.
26:58They attack our villages,
27:00killing women,
27:01small children,
27:02two or three year olds who can't defend themselves,
27:05and even old women who can't use a gun.
27:11Were any of your relatives killed?
27:14Yes.
27:17Those who sign up to fight must acquire their own weapon and motorcycle.
27:22Some spend up to 1,800 euros on gear.
27:26They force you to hold your hands like this while praying.
27:30Were you asked to convert to Salafism?
27:33Yes,
27:34I myself and Maliki.
27:36They wanted me to convert but I refused,
27:38so I left the group.
27:41Malikism has been practiced here for centuries.
27:44Unlike Salafism,
27:45it advocates a tolerant reading of the Quran.
27:48Salafism was brought to Mali in the
27:501980s by preachers from the Gulf nations.
27:53These four men were disappointed the jihadist life wasn't what they'd envisioned,
27:58so they returned home to live alongside their former neighbors of various ethnicities.
28:05When I returned home,
28:07the Dogon were initially scared of me.
28:09But after some time,
28:10my neighbors were no longer afraid.
28:15They now look at me as if I did nothing wrong.
28:17They've gotten used to me.
28:24The Fulani and the Dogon will always need each other.
28:27To cultivate the fields,
28:29to build houses,
28:30to dig wells,
28:32that's what the Dogon do best.
28:34Livestock farming is the Fulani's expertise.
28:41Hundreds of thousands of Fulani have left central Mali due to persecution,
28:46especially by Malian soldiers.
28:48Some have found refuge in neighboring countries.
28:52Including in Mauritania,
28:54the most stable state in the Sahel.
28:57Some 67,000 people live in the Mbera refugee camp.
29:01Most of them are Tuareg who fled jihadists in northern Mali in 2012.
29:06The newest arrivals,
29:07however,
29:08are all Fulani.
29:10Like Chief Bergis saw.
29:11A year ago,
29:12he fled his village after being threatened by a Malian soldier.
29:20The soldier said to me,
29:22I swear to you,
29:23I will not say it twice.
29:25I heard the Fulani are killing us.
29:27Jihadists are killing us.
29:29So we're going to kill all the Fulani.
29:31I called someone at the judicial district.
29:34He told us to stay home and no one would hurt us.
29:41But no officials took his calls for help seriously.
29:48The military returned to the village the next Friday.
29:51First,
29:52they surrounded us.
29:54That was between 1 and 2pm.
29:56Then they invaded the village.
29:58They attacked everyone there.
30:01They went into the rooms and dragged sick people out of their homes.
30:06They killed seven people.
30:11The Fulani were terrified.
30:13Bergi helped send 1,000 families to Mauritania.
30:18People live in peace here.
30:21I thank God for that.
30:23Right now,
30:23I wouldn't even go back if they chartered a plane.
30:26We'll never forget what they did to us.
30:30They murdered people.
30:36Bergi and his fellow villagers will not go back to Mali without a guarantee of safety.
30:43In Mauritania,
30:44refugees receive food from the United Nations.
30:48They can lead some semblance of a normal life.
30:51They're allowed to farm land,
30:52raise their animals,
30:56and even go to school.
30:59caring for the population in order to win them over as part of the Mauritanian government strategy.
31:09After a dozen jihadist attacks,
31:11Mauritania massively restructured its military.
31:14It's now considered the most professional in the region.
31:21One of Mauritania's main air bases is in Attar,
31:25at the edge of the Sahara Desert.
31:27The planes parked on the tarmac seem to be from another age,
31:31like this antique from the
31:341950s.
31:35All these Brazilian-produced fighter planes.
31:38They may look rudimentary,
31:39but they're perfectly suited for the war here.
31:42Colonel Taleb leads this squadron.
31:49This is the Super Tucano.
31:51This aircraft doubles our range and is powerful.
31:54We're also able to attach different types of weapons to it.
31:57We have two built-in
32:0012.7s, as well as electric machine guns and rocket launchers.
32:04We can use
32:0570mm rockets.
32:06That's for vehicles?
32:12Yes,
32:12that's for vehicles.
32:14What weapon we choose often depends on the target.
32:19One advantage to these fighter planes is they're agile and able to land on uneven runways in the middle of the desert.
32:26But first,
32:27the Air Force has to pinpoint the enemy's location.
32:30That's where this reconnaissance aircraft comes in.
32:42This Cessna Caravan is constantly monitoring the
32:462,000-kilometer border Mauritania shares with Mali.
32:50A total of 450,000 kilometers of desert.
32:59Lieutenant Yousuf operates the sensors.
33:02He controls the high-resolution cameras with a range of up to 20 kilometers.
33:22In their eyes,
33:23jihadists and black market traders are closely linked.
33:27The country among the poorest in the world has spared no expense here.
33:31Each surveillance system costs 1 million US dollars and makes it possible to search the ground in all conditions.
33:39It's foggy on the ground.
33:41We use infrared in situations like this.
33:43That's based on temperature,
33:44not visibility.
33:48With the help of the heat sensors,
33:50Lieutenant Yusuf can see the imprint of the vehicles in the sand,
33:54even several hours after they've travelled a given route.
33:59Check that out.
33:59That's from possible to see with the naked eye.
34:03That shows there's activity.
34:05Look.
34:07The desert is not as empty as it seems.
34:10Nomads pitch their tents here,
34:12and gold panners mine gold which is abundant in the region.
34:17This is one of the trucks that's used for transporting supplies.
34:22When he spots weapons,
34:23Lieutenant Youssef alerts the command.
34:26High-ranking officers order the raids.
34:33Over the past three years,
34:34Colonel Taleb and the pilots at the Atar base have intercepted 25 pickup trucks from smugglers or jihadists.
34:42We obtained exclusive footage from a mission.
34:45In January
34:512019, on this day the Mauritanian army destroy four jihadist trucks.
35:05Hold on,
35:05I'll shoot the fourth one.
35:07Don't let it escape.
35:10Don't worry,
35:10I won't.
35:20Mauritania's ground troops have also been restructured.
35:28In 2009,
35:29the state formed a special intervention group.
35:33units specializing in counter-terrorism.
35:36Eight units of 200 men each guard the border with Mali.
35:46Attention
35:49Are you ready to fight?
35:51To your posts
35:57This platoon of 80 soldiers sets out on a three-day patrol.
36:02Their trucks are fitted with heavy machine guns.
36:05They cover 18,000 square kilometers.
36:10The off-road vehicles cover as much ground as possible,
36:13stopping every 500 meters.
36:19Every bush could be a potential hiding place for the enemy.
36:28Move,
36:28move,
36:29move.
36:29Give your comrade the signal to follow you.
36:31Tell him to weave between the trees and move fast.
36:38To fight the jihadists,
36:40the army also relies on human intelligence.
36:47The herders are constantly crossing the savannah,
36:50a valuable source of information.
36:53Seen anyone new?
36:54No one.
36:55All well with you?
36:56Yes,
36:56thank God.
36:58Thank God.
36:59Okay,
36:59you're free to go.
37:04Jihadists would not go unnoticed by the nomads.
37:07To gain their trust,
37:08the military brings them medicine every month.
37:16When the military comes to a village,
37:17this is how they're greeted.
37:22They're given a warm welcome of brotherhood,
37:24friendship and love.
37:33Over the past 12 years,
37:34the Special Intervention Group's presence has radically changed life for many residents,
37:39including this Catalona.
37:42Ever since the army arrived,
37:44the animal theft has stopped.
37:45Nothing more has been stolen,
37:47not even a rooster,
37:48and we can sleep at night now.
37:50Look,
37:50our cows can roam as they please.
37:52No more theft.
37:58The Mauritanian government doesn't just focus on security.
38:02They also want to avoid what's happened in Mali,
38:05where many residents feel left behind.
38:09That's why the government in Mauritania started a citizen police force in the most remote parts of the country.
38:18Where men travel by camel.
38:2725 soldiers are preparing for an expedition spanning several days.
38:33They're under the command of Colonel El Khalil.
38:39Last sip before you go?
38:41Yes,
38:41some water before leaving.
38:43We have to recharge.
38:45This will keep me going the whole day until midday.
38:49Three sips?
38:50Of course.
38:51A real camel driver can last a whole day on that.
38:54With just three sips?
38:56I can guarantee that,
38:57with two litres of water at the most,
38:59I can make it 24 hours.
39:01Not to mention the camels.
39:03With two canteens full of water,
39:05they can manage up to 10 days in the middle of the desert.
39:07In the middle of the desert?
39:17Although camels can cover 65 kilometres in a day and carry 400 kilograms,
39:23they're stubborn animals and can be difficult to manoeuvre.
39:30To be part of the camel cavalry,
39:32it's required to be a nomad and have a thorough knowledge of the region,
39:36its people and dialects.
39:44You've been doing this long?
39:45Yes.
39:46How many years?
39:48I used to do it,
39:49yes.
39:54The men's most important job is to form relationships with the locals and listen to their problems.
40:02How are you?
40:03Where are you coming from?
40:05I'm getting water.
40:09From where?
40:10The drilling well?
40:12The biggest concern here is the water supply.
40:16Isn't Sayy Al-Qabra closer?
40:19I've come from there.
40:20There's no water?
40:23No.
40:23Darn,
40:24the water's out.
40:26A water shortage can quickly lead to conflict among farmers.
40:31The Colonel passes on the information.
40:35Let's keep moving forward.
40:36Let's go.
40:39This is all part of their mission,
40:41just like their intelligence operations.
40:44Hello.
40:46We don't want your sheep,
40:46we need information.
40:50The men ask the same questions at every encounter.
40:53Is the well working and has there been any suspicious activity?
40:56He says everything is normal,
40:58nothing out of the ordinary.
40:59Alright,
41:01you can go.
41:02There's no water.
41:05No water?
41:07No,
41:07no.
41:09There's a well up ahead.
41:10Further ahead?
41:11There's a well in front of there.
41:13That's where we'll set up camp.
41:19The camel riding unit is responsible for maintaining the wells.
41:26In recent years,
41:27the Mauritanian government and the European Union have financed the drilling of hundreds of new wells.
41:33A policy that's proven effective.
41:40Have you ever reported the presence of jihadists?
41:44Yes,
41:45of course.
41:46There have been several cases we informed the authorities about.
41:49Some turned out to be ordinary citizens,
41:51but in other cases they were really terrorists.
41:54Anything can happen.
41:56When you see suspicious activity,
41:57you report it straight away.
42:05Another benefit of these wells,
42:07locals can stay in these desert areas,
42:10which might otherwise become a haven for jihadists from Mali.

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