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Picture Credit:
UN Photo/Tim McKulka
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As Malians take refuge from the violence in bordering Burkina Faso, hundreds of thousands of cattle that accompany them, are threatening the peace. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that at least 47,000 people have entered Burkina Faso, along with 100,00 to 200,000 animals, according to Oxfam. Agriculturalists in Burkina Faso are concerned about depleting food and water sources. Farmers from Niger are also crossing into Burkina Faso in search of pasture and other foods, which they normally source from Gao in Mali. Although the Malian army has secured the North from armed groups, locals have reported that the army is killing civilians, making little effort to distinguish “rebels” from the local population. For fear of attack from their own army, Malians are refusing to return to their homes, adding to the tension in neighboring states.