A family tragedy shook the district of Diandian, in the sub-prefecture of Ourékaba, about fifty kilometers from Mamou, on the evening of Saturday, November 29th. A 5-year-old child accidentally killed his younger brother while handling a rifle left in the family home. The victim died instantly.

A tragedy stemming from inattention

According to initial reports from the scene, the father had just been alerted that cattle had invaded his ripe rice field. Anxious to get there, he reportedly placed his locally made rifle on his bed before locking his hut. Thinking he had secured his home, he hid the keys in the thatched roof and then left the village with his wife for the field, leaving the children at home.

But moments later, tragedy struck. "The father had hidden the keys in the roof before leaving. During his absence, the 5-year-old child searched, found the keys, opened the hut, and took the rifle to play with. While handling it, it went off. The bullets hit his little brother, who was right next to him," recounted Noummadi, an eyewitness to the tragedy.

Investigation opened by the gendarmerie

Alerted, the Ourékaba gendarmerie quickly went to the scene to investigate and the body was handed over to the family for burial that evening.

According to local sources, the weapon involved was seized and the father was summoned to the Mamou research brigade on Monday, December 1st, for the purposes of the investigation.

A new warning about the possession of homemade weapons

This tragedy brings back into focus the problem of the unsafe possession of homemade firearms in rural areas of the country.

Every year, several similar accidents are reported, often caused by weapons left within reach of children.

Local authorities are calling on families to be more vigilant and cautious in order to prevent these tragedies from happening again.