Ten-year-old Musa won the most important camel race in Niger, which is considered one of the biggest in this type of competition in the Sahara desert.
The Ingale race in northern Niger is the highlight of the Cours Salé (“salt cure”) festival, a celebration of the desert shepherd suffering from attacks by militant groups in the region.
The boy, who has been riding camels since he was three years old, started racing at the age of seven, saying: “Before, I was afraid to ride camels alone.”
The race extends over two cycles of 5 km in length, and after the first cycle, the competition heats up between four camels ahead of the other animals.
At the track, motorcyclists and pickup trucks shriek, giving their instructions unconcerned by the busy camels only beating their animals to spur their pace in the final and decisive part of the race.
Soon, the four camels arrived in front of the honor room in which the President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, was seated, to smile broadly at the gap of the little Musa, who was led by his animal “Mahokat” (“the madman”) to the podium, according to what was reported by the “Independent” Arabic website.