Overview

At the beginning of 2012, the northern Malian city of Gao was occupied by jihadist groups. By the force of arms, they demanded the introduction of Sharia law and that the country be divided. While part of the population in Gao joined forces with the separatists, others set up a fierce resistance force to fight the occupation. They formed vigilante groups and night watches to protect their families, organised demonstrations and clandestine gatherings, and eventually managed to drive the jihadists out of Gao. To find out more about the details of the resistance movement, filmmaker Kassim Sanogo traveled to Gao and collected mobile phone videos from the time and interviewed some of the people involved. We hear not only from resistance fighters and members of the city’s council of elders, but also from residents who collaborated with the jihadists before they were ousted.