Mali: a rising tide of refugees and wounded | World news | guardian.co.uk
▻http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/16/mali-conflict-refugees-wounded
Mali: a rising tide of refugees and wounded
Mali government troops’ struggle with insurgent Islamists for control of the north is taking its toll on civilians
For a dozen young boys in central Mali, this is a crucial day. Wearing royal blue cloaks with pointed hoods, the boys line up beside the road in a small village just outside the city of Ségou, chanting in unison. In the eyes of their community these children have just become men. They shake musical instruments made from calabash bowls strung from sticks to signify that they are emerging, circumcised, for a public celebration of manhood.