“Mariam and her sister Fadi are refugees in Mentao with their mother Fadimata from Timbuktu. Their father is originally from Kidal and commands a battalion of MNLA fighters near Tessalit, to the north of Azawad. In the camps, UNICEF and NGOs manage to offer schooling, limited to basic literacy skills for the youngest pupils.”

Extract from Retour à Tombouctou, Éditions Gallimard 2015.