immersion in Kidal, a city once in the hands of jihadists, now controlled by Tuaregs

Kidal is a desert city in northern Mali. It takes a day by road to reach the capital Bamako, 1,500 kilometers away. At nightfall, perched on pick-ups, armed men stand guard: soldiers from Azawad, a predominantly Tuareg alliance. Independent of the Malian central power, they are the ones who bring order to the city.

A deterrent and reassuring police presence for the 25,000 inhabitants of Kidal, one of the few places in Mali relatively spared from violence today. Shops are thus secure, so a pharmacy can open late and without risk. “Customers are reassured, there are fewer thefts and assaults”, says Hartata Ag Baye, pharmacist. Kidal had known the jihadist occupation in 2013, then that of the Tuareg rebels, who signed a peace agreement with the Malian state in 2015. Kidal is a city apart, in a still very unstable Mali.