It has been almost two years since Saratou learned of the death of her son, a young soldier fighting in the Nigerien army. But her pain remains to this day.

"There is no solution to death," she told DW in Niger's capital, Niamey, clutching a photo of her late son.

"Our thoughts are always with our deceased."

It was late September 2023 when Saratou learned of her son's death. An attack on a military unit in Kandadji had occurred. At the time, her son, who had been in the army for just seven months, was stationed in this village, located about 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of Niamey.

Saratou tried to find out whether her son was among the 12 soldiers killed, as social media channels were the only source of information available. Eventually, it was a friend of her son who confirmed the unimaginable.

With her son's newly pregnant wife, Saratou set off for Kandadji to make the necessary arrangements. Once there, they quickly discovered that his burial had not yet taken place; however, beyond this information, they received no help from the authorities in their darkest hour.

"His wife tried everything to at least see his body, but those in charge of the Kandadji camp prevented her from doing so."

In her grief and disappointment, the woman suffered a miscarriage.

Their return to Niamey also proved difficult: The two had no money to pay for transport because the salary of the deceased was yet to be paid. His friends collected money for their return trip in the end.

Saratou told DW that her son's salary arrived a week later via money transfer. To date, no representative of the army or the government has come to see her.

For Seidik Abba, who heads the International Center for Reflection and Studies on the Sahel (CIRES) think tank, Saratou's story is far from an isolated case.

"Families often learn of the death of their loved ones through the media or social media. There is no direct channel or mechanism for informing........

© Deutsche Welle