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.