Mobility and conflict at the Hayré (Mali): the use of mobile phone in crisis time

1. Mobility and conflict at the Hayré (Mali): the use of mobile phone in crisis time Conference : ‘Control and navigation: people searching their goals in an ever more (in) flexible world’ Leiden, February 14th, 2013 Boukary SANGARE boukarysangare@gmail.com

2. Presentation’s plan • Research’s context • Methodology of the research • I- Mobile phone and crisis in Hayre • 1.1 Mobile phone and the occupation of Douentza by the MNLA • 1.2 Mobile Phone and the “bips” phenomenon in times of crisis • 1.3 From the Douentza’s occupation by the MUJAO to the cell phone boom

3. Presentation’s plan (continuation) • II- Mobile phone as a strategic tool in times of war • 2.1 On the interim president’s speech to the nation “State of emergency” • 2.2 French intervention and the communication breakdown in the North. • 2.3 Wanting to stay connected • III- Mobile phone and long distance governance in times of crisis • 3.1The uses of mobile phone by the Deental association • 3.2 Douentza’s Groupe on facebook • Conclusion

4. Why is it important to talk about mobile phone in times of crisis? • Research context: • Douentza’s cercle has been our fieldwork site since 2009 thanks to the program “Mobile Africa Revisited”. • As the North crisis was triggered, we decided to revisit our fieldwork site to observe the transformations: Occupation of the Hayré by the MNLA, Ganda Iso, MUJAO and French intervention.

5. Research Questions • Why have cell phones become an indispensable communication tool in this period of crisis? • What are the effects of mobile communication amongst the Douentza population in this period of crisis? • How do the Douentzadiaspora keep contact with their kin who have decided to stay in the occupied territories? • How do the protagonists of the conflict use cell phones?

6. Methodology • Qualitative methods: Guided in-depth interviews and life-stories • Comparative approach: Comparing diverse cell phones usages undertaken by different actors • Fieldwork: Carried on during April, May and November 2012 • Constant updating on the situation through cell phone calls and the information found on social media (facebook)

7. I- Mobile Phone and the crisis in Hayré • 1-1Mobile phone and the occupation of Douentza by the MNLA : • Occupation of Douentza by the MNLA in April (De Bruijn and Sangare, 2012a) • Cell phones as the only was to get hold of the isolated Douentza population. • Use of cell phones to spread new strategies to cope with the new context (such as crying Azawad-Vive l’Azawad, Olivier de Sardan) • Links established between the rebels and the population through cell phones calls

8. Map of the Azawad, territorial claim of the MNLA

9. The MNLA at Douentza A rebel parking his motorbike Touareg rebels getting information from a Touareg girl

10. Mobile Phone and crisis (continuation) • 1.2 Mobile phone and the “bips” phenomenons in times of crisis • Apropriation of the “bips” technique by the Hayré population due to the economical crisis (cf, Galio, Donner) • The bip as a way to make your interlocutor assume the communication costs: “Min waala credit yoo” • Usual “bip” practices by our friends (night bips by Ahmadou, nomad from Serma and Abdourahmane)

11. Amadou and his “Chinese cell phone”.

12. Mobile phone and crisis (continuation) • 1.3 From the Douentza occupation by MUJAO to the cell phone boom • Depart of the MNLA (June 26th), arrival of the Ganda Iso (July), occupation by the MUJAO (September 1st- 12January) • Douentza in the center of international attention after its occupation by MUJAO and AQMI. • Despite of power outage, difficulties to charge cell phone batteries, increase in the cost of cell phone credit recharges, calling is already the priority

13. Images of MUJAO at Douentza MUJAO’s identity symbol (flag)) MUJAO at the entrance of Douentza

14. Actions of MUJAO Space Ginna Dogoni destroyed Weddings hall closed down.

15. II- Mobile phone as a strategic tool in war times • 2.1 On the interim president’s speech “State of emergency” • Rumors going through text messages (SMS) announced the fall of Konna before the official report was released and thus contributed to the demoralization of troops in the front. • The LT/Col DiaranKone said : “Rumors are more dangerous than the terrorists or a kalachnikov” about of rumor which announced the death of a local journalist at Gao. • The president warns against the spread of unverified informations (sms, calls). • Decree of the State of emergency and consequent restriction of communication freedoms. (January 11th at the CP and January 22nd at the National Assembly)

16.  Konna’s liberation (Thrusday January 17th)

17. II- Mobile communication as strategic tool in war times (continuation) • 2.2 French intervention and communication failure in Douentza • Intervention of the French army to prevent the islamist group from moving South (Mopti, Segou and Bamako). • Bombing of the islamist’s positions in Douentza and immediate breakdown of all phone communication in the Hayré (links to the president’s speech).

18. Images of the Serval operation French aviation French army in Mali

19. II- Mobile communication as a strategic resource in war times (continuation) • 2.3 Wanting to stay connected • Need to exchange information with one’s kin/family during war times. • Even though no all of the Serma camp has cell phone reception, all means are deployed to stay reachable. • Accused by the islamist of being a spy of the Malian army (via cell phone), Abourahmane had to leave Boni. • Once on the border with Burkina, he called us and asked for cell phone credit.

20. Abdourahmane Dicko, Beweedio (fulani at Boni)

21. Looking for signal (mobile phone)  Looking for signal Cell phone hanged from the wall in order to get signal

22. Hama DIALLO, cell phone fixer

23. III- Long distance governance and mobile Phone. • 2.1 The use of mobile phone by the Deental Association. • With the removal of central administration from the occupied areas the population decide to take in charge public services offered by the State. • Use of cell phones by the population to guarantee access to basic public services. • Deental’s experience: they are based in Bamako requesting humanitarian aid to be sent to Hayré. • Everything is done through cell phones: communication.

24. III-Long distance governance and mobile phone (continuation) • 2.2 Douentza group on Facebook  • Creation of a discussion group on Facebook named “Douentza group” • The Douentza diaspora living abroad get news from their parents through cell phones and Facebook to carry out aid request and lobbying. • With the communication breakdown, information on the Facebook Douentza group has become less available.

25. Conclusions • Cell phone are clue to all communication and constitute the best suited and accessible means for the population of Douentza to get information about the different crises in the region. • The recent communication breakdown has left Douentza cut off from the rest of the world while the diaspora wakes up every morning with fear and no information from their kin.

26. Thanks you for your kind attention!