‘We saw terrible things’: Mali refugees tell of atrocities amid attacks

Note: Al Jazeera is withholding some details of interviewees, such as surnames, to protect their identities. Douankara, Mauritania – One evening in late March, 75-year-old Moctar gathered with his family and friends in Sondaje, a village in northern Mali, to plan their escape. For months, homes had been raided by rival gun-toting warring groups who accused various villagers of collaborating with their enemies. Two of Moctar’s cousins were killed in one such attack. …