The president of the interim authorities of Ménaka is worried. Abdoul Wahab Ag Ahmed Mohamed, reached by the press by telephone, explains that a large part of his region of the same name is now occupied by jihadists from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).

In this zone located in the three-border region (Mali-Burkina-Niger), populations have fled from many areas because of attacks by jihadists. The representative of the UN mission in Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, has just completed a field visit on Tuesday in Ménaka: "This is a visit that is linked in fact to the extremely dramatic situation that this region is experiencing. Multiple attacks that have taken place for several weeks have affected civilian populations leading to mass displacements. Many civilians have also been killed. It was important that I come here."

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A few dozen Malian soldiers are symbolically present in Ménaka as well as a unit of Blue Helmets. Those who venture most of the time outside the city to face the jihadists are fighters from the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA), an armed group involved in the peace process in northern Mali.

According to its leaders, over the past three months, "several hundred civilians" have been killed by terrorists. And the region today has 20,000 to 30,000 displaced persons.