SUMMARY

Dozos (Mali) – “dozo” being a Bambara word for “hunters” – is a loosely connected group of militias affiliated with various Mandé ethnic groups, such as the Bambara. Historically, the Dozos have been traditional hunting communities in several West African countries, such as Cote d’Iviore, Burkina Faso, and Mali. The Dozos are similar to other West African “hunter communities”, such as the Kamajors in Sierra Leone. The Dozos often have their own communities (“donso ton”), where it is not uncommon that hunters from several different groups live together. The Dozos can be identified by their traditional brown hunting attire and amulets. In local folklore, the Dozos has been attributed with mystical and magic powers, making them both feared and revered.

Aside from being hunters, the Dozos have also been employed as paramilitary forces by local strongmen, or served as community defense groups. In Mali, the Dozos has functioned as a “self-defense militia” of the Bambara, who have been involved in communal violence against the Fulani. As such, the Dozos has been involved in both the killing of Fulani civilians, and in clashes against Fulani defense militias and jihadist groups, such as JNIM. The organization of the group is somewhat unclear, but knowledgeable sources suggest that small groups of village-based Dozos form part of larger units that are linked to Dozos in the closest towns.

The Dozo militias are commonly armed with hunting weapons, but some have acquired military assault rifles. Furthermore, Dozos from Mali and Burkina Faso participated in the Cote d’Ivoire conflict, where they fought as part of MPCI.