Many pachyderms lived in this vast space between the Mopti, Timbuktu and Gao regions. Before the 2012 crisis, they were estimated to be between 350 and 400. But their number tends to decrease because of several threats: climate hazards and the prevailing insecurity situation in the area. Reporting in the field, we were stopped by armed men. After several hours of negotiation and explanation, they let us go on the condition of no longer filming the elephants.
In the area, there are armed groups such as the Katiba of Macina and the Islamic State group in the Great Sahara and the Sahel. State agents and NGOs no longer intervene directly. Despite the difficulties of the field, we are going to the scene for an unprecedented report.
Already in the city of Mopti, our interlocutors strongly discourage us from venturing into this zone at the risk of being kidnapped or even killed. But we are fortunate enough to meet with an intermediary, a hunter that we will call by his initials A. I. He willingly agrees to be our guide and reassures us: “I know exactly where the elephants are. Don’t worry, I was born here and I will bring you back safely”, he says. Both the courage and the enthusiasm of A. I. intrigue us, so much does his awakened sense of dialogue and his knowledge of the area reassure us.
We arrived around 11pm in N’gouma, about 60 km west of Douentza, we spent the night there. When we woke up, the village is calm that morning. Shirtless and barefooted children were wandering around, some women were leaving to fetch water, some men in animal drawn carts were following follow each other. At first sight, this village seems peaceful. Here there is no army, no administration. The school is closed since 2015.
In the village, if some find that the presence of elephants in the area is a divine blessing, “it is thanks to them that the rainy season will be productive”, it is rather a business for others, like this former poacher who requested anonymity. He said he abandoned the practice after the jihadists banned all those who are not in their movement from carrying weapons. Also, he needed “a whole team to kill an elephant and rip the defenses. It was a lot of expenses”.
A kilo of ivory can cost 200 000 F CFA
According to the information gathered, buyers prefer newly ripped ivory. They come mainly from Burkina Faso, Senegal and Algeria. “The kilo was sold at 40 000F CFA on the spot, those in Algeria give more money up to 60 000 F. And when the ivory is sent to Bamako, the kilo can be sold for 200 000 F”, says our interlocutor before adding that the ivory of an adult elephant can reach 7 to 8 kilos.
In June 2018, a dozen elephants were shot in one day by five to seven people in a pickup truck with automatic weapons near Er Nafol. Since then, armed groups claim to protect pachyderms, our guide tells us. The latter asks us to take the road to the forest of Kararou, 30 km from our position.
The forest is huge and the greenery has begun to grow thanks to a few millimeters of rain before our arrival, evidenced by the puddles. Vegetation as far as the eye can see, no houses nearby. For our guide, “the elephants are probably on the side of the big pond. We will have to continue in the opposite direction”, he recommends.
The elephants are widely dispersed and move according to the availability of water and pasture. As we move forward, A. I. tells us that “we are likely to meet armed men. Don’t panic! We will explain the reason of our presence, that’s all”.
Having barely located a herd of elephants 100m from our position, and the time to film some sequences, about twenty heavily armed men stopped us. They summoned us to stop with the weapons pointed at us.
They came to us and ask us to identify ourselves by speaking in Fulani language. Our guide who understands this language tries to explain who we are and what we do. His attempt failed. After several hours of negotiation and explanation, and especially the notoriety of our guide in the area, they agree to let us go on the condition of no longer filming.
In Bamako, we meet Mr. Nomba Ganame, the representative of The Wild Foundation. Since 2002, this international NGO has given itself the mission of protecting the elephants in Mali. “Beginning in 2002, there have been scientific studies and collar placements to see all the movements of the elephants’ migration in their natural habitat which brings them to the border of Burkina Faso”, he says.
In 2010, Mali lost between “26 to 36 elephants”, and from 2012 till now, the losses amount to more than 160, mainly because of poaching and the security situation in the area, “an ecological disaster”, according to Nomba Ganame.
Biodiversity disrupted
Climate change and the sometimes uncontrolled actions of populations, especially agro-pastoralists, semi-nomadic pastoralists and transhumant nomads are also threats to these pachyderms.
To promote and protect this biodiversity, Mali and its partners have developed a plan in which several activities are planned. The Department of Water and Forestry has funds up to 100 million F CFA. “That’s how we make water points. Ponds that are perennial dry up. The one that is a little viable is invaded by Malian herds and even foreign herds, Mauritanian and Burkinabe, etc. It’s the pond of Banzena. This is the main watering point for elephants”, Commander Amadou Sow, Water and Forestry department, tells Sahelien.com.
To limit the pressure on this pond, “we made an action plan to locate many points, mainly the fractions, the places of regrouping to carry out drilling of large diameter wells with water towers, solar equipment, basins, and water fountains. When people have it at their place, they will no longer need to go to the pond which, at a given moment, makes sick, sometimes becomes impure water, continued the officer of water and forestry.
With the insecurity that reigns in several localities of Mali, the representatives and symbols of the State are targets for terrorist armed groups. In the Gourma, The Wild Foundation continues to intervene through trained local youth called “Eco Guards”. They are even preparing a new elephant count for next year. “They are trained in GPS surveying, taking pictures, manipulating GPS and are currently counting the elephants. It’s an attempt to make a much more serious count in 2020”, says Nomba.
An aircraft dedicated to surveillance
The UN Mission in Mali (Minusma) also supports the authorities in the fight against poaching. In 2016, it began the first phase of a project that aims to “contribute to improving the security of local communities in the vulnerable Gourma area by strengthening the operational capacities of forest guards to combat poaching and the activities of armed groups, which threaten the existence of the elephant population of Mali”.
As a result of this phase, there is “the decline in the number of elephants killed by poachers. Between April and September 2015, 41 elephants were killed by poachers, while no elephants were killed until March 2018”, Minusma told Sahelien.com.
To enhance surveillance, a light reconnaissance aircraft was handed over to the authorities in December 2018. The aircraft will also be used to perform ground-to-air coordination in real time during operations.
According to the UN mission, this second phase of the project (ongoing), “consists of continuing to train and equip the joint brigade to combat traffic composed of elements of the FAMa (armed forces) – Forest guards and will include the construction of a base for patrols and a protective hangar for the aircraft”. The communities
An important aspect of the formation and functioning of this mixed brigade is its active engagement with local communities. This includes “proactive collection of information through the establishment of networks of trusted informants in the community, sensitization on the critical situation of elephants and direct assistance to communities in the form of medical assistance”.
To date, US $ 1,005,900 (about 591 million F CFA) have been allocated under this project, says Minusma.
Sahelien.com
* Produced with the support of the IMS Sahel Program, financed by DANIDA