VOA reporter Idriss Fall is one of the first journalists to reach Gao, northern Mali's largest city, since Islamists seized control of the region several months ago and began enforcing a strict form of Sharia law - banning alcohol and smoking and insisting that women wear veils, among other measures.
A Visit to Gao, Northern Mali's Largest City
![Refugees fleeing Gao. (Idriss Fall/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/ACC55B65-04AE-433B-A7F7-624E3FDB7246_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
1
Refugees fleeing Gao. (Idriss Fall/VOA)
![Amadou Cisse, of the Liberation Front in Northern Mali. (Idriss Fall/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/2AC797AB-039A-4244-B406-1A8A636E8C29_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
2
Amadou Cisse, of the Liberation Front in Northern Mali. (Idriss Fall/VOA)
![Two Gao women residents on a motorcycle. (Idriss Fall/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/62CF34DC-9278-4F22-B719-ED8AC5705A3D_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
3
Two Gao women residents on a motorcycle. (Idriss Fall/VOA)
![A school for the blind in Gao. (Idriss Fall/VOA)](https://gdb.voanews.com/1409AE94-6369-4BE5-8E99-0AEB10A6E6FD_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
4
A school for the blind in Gao. (Idriss Fall/VOA)