Mali: Drinking water a priority in north

By ICRC

The humanitarian situation in northern Mali is still a source of concern. Displaced persons in the north-east corner of the country lack food and water. The ICRC and the Mali Red Cross are working to help people who have been affected by the conflict.

"The country is facing a difficult humanitarian situation," said Jean Nicholas Marti, the head of the ICRC regional delegation for Mali and Niger. "In the northern region, access to drinking water is still a big worry for recently displaced people in Tinzawatene, close to the Algerian border and in some other towns such as Ménaka, Timbuktu or Gao."


Aid distribution site Konna, Mali
Credit: ICRC

Teams of relief workers from the ICRC and the Mali Red Cross have handed out jerrycans and water purification tablets to almost 5,400 displaced persons in Tinzawatene. They are also repairing wells in the Akharabane and Achibriche areas, which are also near to the Algerian border, where there has been an influx of displaced persons. The situation is particularly worrying because residents are having to share their meagre resources with the newcomers.

Fighting cuts off food and humanitarian assistance

 

By Jeremy Konyndyk/ Mercy Corps 




Northern Malians struggling from food shortages
 Credit: Mercy Corps

Populations in northern Mali are facing severe food shortages since fighting has cut off vital humanitarian assistance and access to markets.

Mercy Corps team members monitoring the situation in the Gao region report that food supplies are dwindling since the military offensive against rebel extremists began in January.

Families are dependent on local markets that usually receive weekly deliveries, but most have completely shut down. Vendors in Gao and elsewhere have fled to protect their stocks from looting; commercial supply routes have been disrupted by the closure of the Algerian border and other military blockades; and most humanitarian agencies, including Mercy Corps, have been forced to suspend aid distributions for security reasons.

Other food sources are not widely available and stocks from the rice harvest are rapidly running out, leaving the population to face a looming crisis. Urgent steps must be taken in the next days and weeks to restore crucial lifelines as quickly as possible.

Civilians continue to flee military offensive in Mali; internal return prospects mixed

By Helene Caux & William Spindler, UNHCR - Mali

 

 The UN refugee agency said on Friday 1 February that the fast-evolving military situation in the north of Mali has raised hopes that many displaced people will be able to go back to their homes soon, but considerable challenges remain.

"To the extent that refugee numbers are a barometer of the situation, UNHCR notes that refugees are still fleeing to neighbouring countries," spokesman Adrian Edwards noted.

In the Mali capital, Bamako, UNHCR staff have interviewed displaced families who say they are ready to return to their homes in the Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal regions as soon as the roads to the north are reopened. Bus services to Gao and Timbuktu have been suspended because of the conflict.

Bus companies in Bamako confirm that they are receiving phone calls from people asking about the resumption of regular services to Douentza, Gao and Timbuktu. Buses are presently travelling only as far as the towns of Mopti and Sevare.

Vidéo: Aide aux blessés et déplacés au Mali, alors que les combats se poursuivent

 

Par Jean-Nicolas Marti, chef de la délégation du CICR au Mali

Les combats dans le nord et le centre du Mali ont contraint des centaines de personnes à fuir de chez elles. Les hôpitaux font face à un afflux de blessés et un certain nombre de personnes ont été arrêtées. Malgré les combats qui se poursuivent, le CICR est présent sur ​​le terrain et opère à partir de ses bureaux de Mopti et Gao afin d'aider les personnes déplacées et de soutenir le travail accompli à l'hôpital de Gao pour sauver des vies. Depuis la capitale Bamako, le chef de la délégation du CICR au Mali, Jean-Nicolas Marti, décrit la situation au 15 Janvier et l'action du CICR.

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Jean-Nicolas Marti Credit: ICRC

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Mali : la situation humanitaire est toujours inquiétante dans le nord

Par Charles Sanches,  Comité International de la Croix Rouge (CICR)

Le CICR est préoccupé par la situation humanitaire au nord du Mali.  Jean-Nicolas Marti, chef de la délégation régionale du CICR pour le Mali et le Niger a avancé : « Le conflit n'a pas permis à la majorité des familles de profiter de la saison agricole cette année. Les familles ont donc encore besoin d'une assistance alimentaire d'urgence en attendant de développer d'autres moyens de subsistance ».

Le CICR et la Croix-Rouge Malienne ont distribué des vivres à quelque 400 000 personnes et cela devrait se poursuivre jusqu’en fin d’année. De la viande est aussi fournie. En effet, du bétail local est acheté, abattu puis fourni aux plus démunis. À ce jour, plus de 10 000 têtes sur 15 000 ont été déstockées dans les régions de Kidal, Gao et Tombouctou.

Niamey, Niger. Emplacement où ont lieu des distributions d'assistance alimentaire du CICR et de la Croix-Rouge nigérienne au profit de réfugiés maliens. Peter Maurer, président du CICR, serre la main d'une réfugiée malienne, bénéficiaire de l'assistance

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