In the Shadow of the Mountains: A Life Shared with Wolves and Wild Boar

Every night, the silence of the mountains is broken by the cries of wolves and the roars of wild boars prowling around their shelter. For Madame Sabah, going out at night is a real ordeal. Armed with simple stones, she fends off these intruders, fighting to keep herself and her family safe.

The shack in which the family lives lacks even the most basic facilities. No toilets, no running water, nothing to guarantee a minimum of dignity. Madame Sabah recounts with tears in her eyes: “When I go out at night, I come across wild boars. I throw stones at them to keep them away, but sometimes I'm afraid they'll come back.”

While this anecdote illustrates a life marked by precariousness and constant risks, the story of this family doesn't end there …

Akram's broken dream

Akram, a young man of 26, was driven by the hope of changing his family's life. Having grown up in poverty, he often repeated to his mother, “One day, I'll build you a dignified home, where you won't have to live in this misery anymore.”

In May 2024, he left his family home in the mountainous region of Le Kef for Tunis to look for paid work. He finally found a job in a factory in the town of Sidi Hussein. Working conditions were difficult. Akram complained to his mother about the dirtiness of the place and the hardness of the work. He promised to return.

On June 1, 2024, Akram was arrested in Tunis after a soccer match. According to testimony gathered by his family, he was accused of trespassing on private property without authorization. While in custody, he was subjected to violence. When his father visited him in prison, he noticed handcuff marks on his wrists and a swollen face. Akram confided to him that he had been beaten by police officers during his arrest. A few days later, on June 17, the family received the terrible news: Akram had died in custody. His body, recovered from Charles Nicolle hospital, bore traces of beatings and assaults.

The weight of tragedy on the family

Akram's tragedy had a profound impact on his brother, a member of the national army. Marked by the sudden loss of his younger brother, he sank into a state of psychological distress. The pain, fueled by the idea that his brother had been betrayed by those who were supposed to protect citizens, became unbearable.

One day, during a military ceremony, he refuses to salute the national flag, explaining to his superior: “How can I salute a flag when the police, supposedly at the service of the fatherland, broke my family?”

This gesture earned him a severe sanction: he was suspended from his duties, exiled to one of Tunisia's most remote outposts, deprived of his salary and sentenced to a heavy fine that he is unable to pay, plunging the family into even greater turmoil.

Madame Sabah, already overwhelmed by the loss of her younger son, now sees her older son, her last support, wasting away under the weight of this injustice. She painfully confides: “I see my only son dying a little more every day. How can we go on living with this pain in our hearts?”

Rebuilding hope

Despite the pain, the family clings to hope. With SANAD's help, they have launched a sheep-breeding project to support themselves. But precarious living conditions - an unsanitary shelter, no toilets, and the constant danger of wild animals - threaten the success of this project.

We urgently need to offer them a dignified habitat: a safe room, a simple toilet, and a fence to protect their space. This support would not only be material, but also an act of human solidarity to restore hope and dignity for a family shattered by injustice.

Together, we can make Akram's dream come true and give the family back their dignity. Let's be the bearers of light in their darkness.

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