Thousands of residents of the Gao and Menaka districts in northeastern Mali have been forced to flee their homes, fearing the advance of the ISIS terrorist organization in the Greater Sahara, which is carrying out a brutal attack in the region with the participation of local military forces. groups and rival terrorist organizations.
Menaka and Gao witnessed clashes between the independence-seeking Tuareg and the Malian army between 2012 and 2015 and are currently bearing the brunt of the fight between the Islamic State and various armed groups.
The United Nations and non-governmental organizations have reported repeated attacks by ISIS on villagers, whom it has accused of supporting anti-ISIS forces or refusing to support its fighters.