While the town of Tillia, in the north of the Tahoua region of Niger, is home to several thousand Malian refugee victims arriving every day, the desert area is without enough water to supply the border town, the refugees and their livestock. Alerted, the World Organization for Immigration, with the support of Europeans, notably Germany, has just offered them a deep drilling of 750 meters with a flow rate of 80 cubic meters per hour.
With our special correspondent in Tillia, Moussa Kaka
The Tuareg maxim ” water is life ” makes sense in the region of Tillia, in the middle of the Saharan desert: the shortage exacerbates inter-community conflicts and undermines social cohesion. According German Ambassador in Niger Hermann Nicolai, the 750 meter deep drilling project will ensure “ not only the good survival of the people here, but also it is a project that adds to the social peace in the region “.
The 84,000 Malian refugees and their animals are also taken care of, explains Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Niger for the UN Louise Aubin: ” In a region that is already struggling to meet the needs of its own people, you open your arms, you grant refuge, peace and stability in this region. »
One of the refugeesaged 80, is relieved: “ We left our village of Bokorate, where the terrorists killed a lot of people, we fled over the dunes and towards Tillia. We lost everything, our men, our children and our property. »
Among the others, a Fulani chief recounts with a smile on his face: “ We were dug this borehole to water our animals, today we have water for our happiness. »
Every day new refugees converge on this 80 cubic meter hour borehole
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