THE MAIDUGURI AIR TRIANGLE

INTRODUCTION

Maiduguri had learned to live with war.

For years, the city had stood as a fragile island of relative calm while violence raged across the surrounding countryside. Its markets remained open, its airport remained active, and its streets continued to carry thousands of people who had nowhere else to go.

But the war was never far away.

Across the Lake Chad Basin, millions had been driven from their homes. Villages had been destroyed. Clinics, schools and churches had been burned. Roads that once connected communities had become dangerous or impassable. And every day, another wave of wounded civilians, displaced families and desperate patients arrived at the humanitarian organizations fighting to keep them alive.

At Maiduguri's airport, a remarkable aviation operation was being assembled.

Four heavy Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters stood ready for the most demanding missions—medical evacuations, emergency transport and the movement of desperately needed supplies. Three Mi-17 helicopters waited nearby; their crews prepared to reach places where roads no longer existed.

And above them flew two Diamond DA62 MPP aircraft.