Amid the sectarian violence in Central African Republic, she managed to survive a rampage by Christian fighters on her Muslim village by fleeing on the back of her 12-year-old brother.
Her story – one of heartache and resilience — was pieced together by AP West Africa correspondent Krista Larson, who notes in her report that hundreds of thousands of children have been displaced by violence in the country and hundreds have become separated from their families..
Larson told The Definitive Source blog that she researched Hamamatou's story with the help of a Sango translator over a two-week period.
「I was in Carnot, Central African Republic, to do a follow-up story about the Catholic church that was sheltering 900 Muslims,」 she said. 「AP Chief Africa Photographer Jerome Delay spotted Hamamatou crawling through the mud on her way back from the communal toilets and snapped her photo. She stole our hearts with her determination and bright eyes.」
Larson continued: 「I went to her tent with my Sango translator and we did a first interview. I contacted my editor, Mary Rajkumar, who gave me more suggestions for questions to ask and people to talk to. We then interviewed her several times over the next day or so, and then we went to her home village of Guen, where we learned more about the attack her family had fled.
「It's been touching to see how many people have reached out to help Hamamatou despite a lack of international interest in the conflict ravaging her country.」
Efforts to provide for her long-term needs are ongoing.
