18 March 2013 Andrew Norton

A recent event at ODI on the humanitarian dimensions of the crisis in Mali, saw a common theme in presentations from two panellists, Jeremy Swift and Bruce Whitehouse. Both outlined how Mali’s State institutions and the political leadership of the pre-coup regime of Amadou Toumani Toure had been rotting from the inside out (or perhaps from the ‘head down’ as the proverb in the title has it) for some time before the ‘tipping point’ of state collapse. The rot set in when local and national elites started to benefit from drug trafficking and kidnapping for ransom.

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Morten Bøås, Liv Elin Torheim, 15 March 2013

The Islamist rebels are no longer in control of northern Mali, but the crisis is far from over. The north is currently so factionalised that no united position exists as a viable platform for negotiations with Bamako. The political situation in Bamako is similar: political groups have taken a range of positions regarding the March 21st 2012 coup, the transitional government, negotiations with the north and the international intervention. These issues will likely be further politicised prior to the elections planned for July 31st 2013, which will make it even harder to agree on a national platform for peace, reconciliation and dialogue. The internal divisions of the Malian army are also affecting the situation negatively. The conflict, coming on top of the 2011-12 drought, has resulted in a complex humanitarian emergency, with 430,000 externally or internally displaced refugees. Due to the volatile situation in Mali, most refugees will not return in the immediate future, suggesting that the country and the region are facing a protracted refugee crisis. In light of this it is important that the international community should continue to stay engaged in supplying relief and development assistance, and in efforts to achieve peace and reconciliation.

Since the adoption on 20 December 2012 of United Nations Security Council’s resolution 2085, approving the deployment of an international support mission in Mali (AFISMA) and the training on human rights of Malian security forces, the situation has evolved. French and Malian armies have engaged a military intervention and have widely deployed in Northern Mali.

This evolution has involved reflection and debates within United Nations Security Council, ECOWAS and African Union, on the adaptation of mechanisms provided by resolution 2085 to determine the procedure and the structure of the various security forces and mechanisms planned to support Malian authorities in the current crisis.

Amongst the first decisions, States members of the African Union, complying with ECOWAS’ decision, approved the sending of more military forces and the deployment of human rights observers, in coordination with the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR).

In the meantime, Malian authorities adopted a roadmap for the transition, scheduling in particular the holding of general elections on 31 July 2013.

The donors’ conference held in Addis-Abeba on 29 January has agreed granting over 455 million dollars that will be used to cover AFISMA’s spending, restructure Malian military and provide for humanitarian aspect of this crisis. This amounts to half of the budget calculated by ECOWAS for this occasion.

The European Union has committed to deliver humanitarian assistance and deploy a mission in charge of contributing to the training of Malian military, including on international humanitarian law, civilians protection and human rights. Furthermore, EU has planned financial and logistical support for the deployment of AFISMA, the gradual recovery of development aid, paired up with concrete measures of assistance in the implementation of the roadmap.

FIDH, its member organisation in Mali, AMDH, and UIDH welcome commitments made by Mali and international community for a solution to the crisis in Mali and call them for the implementation of a genuine and effective coordination of their interventions for the purpose of ensuring the respect of international humanitarian law and human rights, helping the strengthening of those rights and contributing to the fight against impunity.

Resolving the conflict

FIDH, AMDH and UIDH call for the utmost vigilance on still-existing risks of terrorist or acts of destabilisation coming from armed groups, perpetration of human rights’ violations or political instability as a result of these potential attacks in Mali and the sub-region. Our organisations call upon all stakeholders in the region and international bodies to ensure that their fight against terrorism complies with the respect of human rights, launches democratic processes and goes along with development politics able to combat. extremisms

Financing

Our organisations welcome the results that came out of the donors’ conference. We call upon the international community to quickly decide of the structure for the coordination of their financial support to Mali. We also encourage them to secure the remaining funds needed to ensure a complete support to the stabilisation of Mali.

Composition, mandate and coordination of armed interventions

As part of the deployment of military forces of many countries and authorities, our organisations call for:

• the implementation of a vetting mechanism to ensure that no individual responsible for human rights violations is incorporated in this framework ;
• an effective mandate and necessary operational means are established to ensure the protection of civilian population and human rights defenders ;
• a clear and unified command structure, integrating a direct communication with civilian population to ensure access of humanitarians and independent observers coming from civil society to conflict-affected areas.

Training of military forces to human rights

Our organisations welcome decisions taken by Malian authorities, and supported by the United Nations Security Council, allowing the training of Malian military forces on human rights and international humanitarian law. We also welcome as the commitment made by the European Union to contribute to this training through the deployment of an EU Training Mission (EUTM). In this context our organisations call for:

• the United Nations, the African Union and the ECOWAS to ensure that all troops deployed receive a training on the protection of human rights and international humanitarian law ;
• trainers to be legal experts with field experience of prevention, monitoring or treatment of human rights violations in time of armed conflict ;
• trainings to actually contribute, at each step of interventions (planning, commanding, running and monitoring); the establishment of guarantees allowing prevention, monitoring, remediation and reporting of violations human rights violations ;
• trainings to go along with regular public reporting (with short intervals between reports to allow an effective monitoring of operations) on training activities carried out, measures taken and results achieved on human rights’ protection.

Human rights’ observers

Our organisations welcome the announcement of the deployment of United Nations and African Union observers on the ground, in charge of investigating on the evolution of the human rights situation in Mali. We particularly call for these observers to:

• be deployed in a sufficient number to cover the entire territory and all operations ;
• work under a common management, in close cooperation with trainers of military forces ;
• monitor, document and, if required, denounce human rights’ violations committed by all parties ;
• be able to investigate on human rights’ violations that occurred on the entire Malian territory, beyond provisions made by resolution 2085 ;
• accompany Malian authorities in their work of prevention, documentation, repression and redress of human rights’ violations and in the preparation of the justice, truth and reconciliation process as determined in the roadmap, in close cooperation with the International Criminal Court ;
• grant a particular attention to gender-based crimes ;
• work in close cooperation with civil society, in particular Malian human rights’ organisations.

Sanctions

To complete the battery of measures defining missions granted to military forces involved in operations and in order to reduce the risk of human rights violations, our organisations call upon the United Nations Security Council to announce that actors alleged to be responsible for human rights violations and who would refuse to cooperate with authorities and mechanisms for fighting impunity, may be subject to individual sanctions.

Political roadmap

Our organisations welcome the adoption by Malian authorities of a roadmap for the transition and the commitment made to hold general elections in the near future. We also welcome the support allowed by the multidisciplinary presence of the United Nations in Bamako and bilateral engagements taken by other States of the international community, in favour of the establishment of the rule of law and the implementation of the roadmap for the transition.

In this context, FIDH, AMDH and UIDH urge Malian authorities, with the support of the international community, to immediately start the necessary preparations for the organisation, observation and certification of the announced general elections, in order to hold free, independent and transparent elections that would ensure the inclusive participation of the Malian population, including refugees and displaced people. These preparations particularly involve the overhaul of the electoral register and the training of independent observers.

Our organisations acknowledge, as written in the roadmap, that a necessary part of the political transition in Mali is the dialogue between parties in conflict. We call upon authorities to establish a dialogue framework with all legitimate representatives of Northern populations and non-terrorist armed groups, in addition with local elected officials and civil society.

We also call international community to support the establishment of the Dialogue and Reconciliation National Commission as provided for in the roadmap, giving expertise and technical support to ensure that this commission shall be representative, transparent and inclusive.

International and independent monitoring of the evolution of the human rights’ situation

Lastly, our organisations call upon the United Nations Security Council and Human Rghts Council, to establish an international and independent monitoring on the evolution of human rights in Mali. This mechanism would ensure a follow-up of recommendations addressed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to Malian authorities, coordinate recommendations of all observers deployed on the ground, support the Malian government in the implementation of the roadmap and report to the Security Council and Human Rights Council.

30.000 tonnes d’excédents céréaliers seront exportés cette année du Togo vers les pays victimes d’une crise alimentaire comme le Niger, le Ghana, le Burkina-Faso et le Libéria.

Le ministre de l’Agriculture, Ouro-Koura Agadazi (photo), a rappelé lundi que depuis 3 ans, un accord en ce sens avait été conclu avec le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM).

En 2012, une quantité similaire avait été livrée à ces pays.

Le Togo a la chance d’enregistrer des excédents céréaliers depuis plusieurs années

As I rode through the dry, dusty countryside of Burkina Faso in late February, I began to wonder how any plant could thrive in the constant heat, and with seemingly little water. Considering the 2012 food crisis, when late rains led to poor harvests and resulted in widespread food insecurity across the Sahel, I wondered how farmers were able to make this dry, hard land produce anything.

With only four months of rain a year – on average 20-35 inches total – farmers are often dependent on this little rain to produce enough food to feed their families and earn enough income to purchase food in the dry season. It’s a delicate balance – too little rain, and their crops fail; too much rain, and their crops fail.

The importance of water particularly becomes stark when you visit communities that lack a good water source. Families have little to eat because they can’t grow enough due to lack of water; children are in poor health because the water source is not sanitary.

Yet across eastern Burkina Faso, in areas where USAID’s food assistance programs have been working for the last 10 years, green fields are bringing hope to thousands of families, even during the dry season.

Where land was previously infertile or unproductive, land rehabilitation, particularly in the lowlands, has meant farmers are now able to grow high value crops such as rice during the regular harvest season. This provides much needed food and income, especially in comparison with the small yields from cowpeas, sesame, millet and sorghum grown in small household plots. During the dry season, many families are even able to grow onions, tomatoes, green beans, and other crops on these rejuvenated lands to bring in extra income to support their families.

Water was key to these successes. In every community we visited, families identified water as the main constraint to food security. But where USAID partners Catholic Relief Services (CRS), ACDI/VOCA and Africare were able to create or improve water sources, or teach farmers how to capture rain during the rainy season, communities were thriving.

In the hamlet of Kofogou, one woman spoke to us about how for the first time she was able to cultivate rice herself, instead of buying rice, because she now had a plot on the lowland she and other community members redeveloped through Food for Work. Food for Work is work done by community members in exchange for food. On her 0.15 hectares of lowland she now produces ten 75-KG sacks of rice, providing food for her family and a source of income when she sells some of the rice she has parboiled.

I heard similar stories throughout my visit to Burkina Faso. All communities that have been successful identified water access and lowlands development as keys to their success. In Wattigué, the rice producers group “Teeltaaba”, or “Support Each Other”, was organized last year for the 37 farmers working on the newly redeveloped lowlands. In its first year of production on the lowlands – before the 2012 food crisis – the producers group harvested over 15 tons rice. The group sold a portion of this to traders in the larger towns of Kaya and Ouagadougou, rather than individually as small batches to traders in nearby Tougouri as they had in the past. This resulted in better prices. The group’s 2012 sale of rice netted $1,800 income for the 37 farmers. This doesn’t even count the additional tons sold to local women for parboiling and rice collected from each farmer in the community to help feed 68 kids for 3-4 months at the school canteen.

Rassomdé community most struck me. Located in Gourcy province northwest of Ouagadougou, Africare had worked in Rassomdé until 2010, at which time their development food assistance program closed. In traveling to Rassomdé, we hoped to see communities faring better than others which weathered the 2012 food crisis, as a result of Africare’s previous assistance. We were not disappointed.

As we drove up to their fields, we saw 30 hectares of green – onions and tomatoes grew everywhere. Their proximity to a reservoir helped. With Africare’s assistance, communities developed these 30 hectares of land, making multiple canals to bring water from the reservoir to the fields. Today, three years after Africare’s departure, producers can pay their expenses and still earn a net income of $617 per household from vegetable gardening in the off-season.

While significant challenges remain because of a lack of water or lack of access to water, what we saw demonstrated to me that lasting positive changes are possible, through helping farmers and their communities. I am encouraged that these efforts in Burkina Faso are similar to what’s being done across the Sahel in USAID’s development food assistance programs. These changes are exactly what will lift communities out of a cycle of crisis and lay the foundation for their continued growth.

ROME – The people of Mali continue to suffer the impact of mass displacement and they urgently need food and other humanitarian assistance, said the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Ertharin Cousin, on her return from a five-day trip to Mali and Burkina Faso (13-17 March) to meet people affected by the conflict in Mali and cycles of drought and poor harvests.

“People are still suffering; the crisis is not over. It is not safe in many of the communities in the North and people cannot go home. We need to continue to provide support so children can continue to receive food assistance,” Cousin said, following a visit yesterday to meet displaced people in Mopti, a central Malian town considered the gateway to the country’s north. From there, WFP is sending food by road and riverboat to Timbuktu further upstream.

Parts of Mali have recently become more accessible and WFP has begun to send food to Northern Mali, which had been cut off from most humanitarian assistance since conflict flared one year ago. However the situation is still volatile and many areas remain out of reach.

The United Nations says more than 270,000 people have been displaced within Mali, while more than 170,000 refugees have fled to neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger. WFP and its partners are providing food assistance in all four countries.

The international community must intensify its efforts to help vulnerable and displaced Malians, said Cousin, adding that continued support is needed for communities still feeling the effects of last year’s emergency caused by drought in the Sahel region of Africa – the third major drought in seven years.

“The Sahel is facing a double threat: instability, caused by a conflict that has sent refugees across its borders and chronic hunger, caused by cycles of drought and poor harvests. Last year the international community helped avert a crisis in the Sahel, but our work is not over,” Cousin said.

In Burkina Faso, Cousin visited a refugee camp in the village of Mentao. Burkina Faso is hosting over 47,000 Malian refugees. More than 5,000 of them have arrived since the start of this year. In Niger, WFP is providing food assistance to about 50,000 refugees and in Mauritania around 74,000 refugees are receiving help.

In Burkina Faso, Cousin also visited a local nutrition centre, a school feeding programme and a soil conservation project, all supported by WFP, its donors and partners. She noted that these activities reduced the impact of last year’s drought and would help communities to resist and recover from future shocks.

“It is not a matter of ‘if’ there will be a drought, but ‘when’. If we continue to follow through with what we started last year, we can truly build resilience in the Sahel,” Cousin said, referring to programmes that help farmers improve their yields and bring their produce to markets, as well as projects that create community assets, such as irrigation systems, and strengthen the local economy.

WFP plans to reach more than one million people in Mali this year and a further one million in Burkina Faso, with a variety of programmes including assistance to displaced people, school feeding, training, cash and voucher programmes that help people buy locally-produced food and nutrition for mothers and young children.

In 2013, WFP’s plans to assist 5.5 million people in eight countries affected by the impact of the Mali conflict and last year’s drought – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and The Gambia – with a total budget of US$611 million.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.

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For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
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ROME – Le peuple du Mali continue à subir les conséquences des déplacements massifs de populations et a urgemment besoin de nourriture et d’autre assistance humanitaire, a déclaré Mme Ertharin Cousin, Directrice exécutive du Programme alimentaire mondial des Nations Unies (PAM) suite à une visite de cinq jours au Mali et au Burkina Faso (du 13 au 17 mars) pour rencontrer les personnes affectées par le conflit au Mali ainsi que le cycle de sécheresse et de mauvaises récoltes.

«Les populations souffrent toujours ; la crise n’est pas encore finie. Il existe des problèmes de sécurité dans de nombreuses communautés au nord et les personnes ne peuvent pas retourner chez elles. Nous devons continuer à apporter un soutien pour que les enfants puissent continuer à recevoir une assistance alimentaire,» a indiqué Mme Cousin, après avoir rencontré hier les déplacés a Mopti, une ville au centre du Mali considérée comme la porte d’entrée vers le nord du pays. D’ici, le PAM achemine des vivres par transport routier et fluvial vers Tombouctou situé en amont de Mopti.

Certaines zones au Mali sont récemment devenues plus accessibles et le PAM a commencé à transporter des vivres vers le nord du pays qui a été coupé de presque toute assistance humanitaire depuis la recrudescence du conflit, il y a un an. Néanmoins, la situation reste volatile et beaucoup de zones sont toujours inaccessibles.

Selon les Nations Unies, plus de 270 000 personnes ont été déplacées à l’intérieur du Mali alors que plus de 170 000 réfugiés ont fui vers les pays voisins notamment le Burkina Faso, la Mauritanie et le Niger. Le PAM et ses partenaires fournissent une assistance alimentaire dans tous ces quatre pays.

Mme Cousin a souligné que la communauté internationale devrait intensifier ses efforts pour venir en aide aux maliens déplacés et vulnérables tout en ajoutant qu’il faudrait également assurer un soutien continu aux communautés affectées par la crise provoquée par la sécheresse qui a frappé la région du Sahel en Afrique l’année dernière- la troisième en sept ans.

«Le Sahel se trouve confronté à un double menace : l’instabilité provoquée par un conflit qui a poussé des réfugiés à traverser ses frontières et la faim chronique provoquée par des cycles récurrents de sécheresses et de mauvaises récoltes. L’année dernière, la communauté internationale a permis d’éviter une crise au Sahel mais il nous reste encore beaucoup à faire», a déclaré Mme Cousin.

Au Burkina Faso, Mme Cousin s’est rendue dans un camp de réfugiés à Mentao. Le Burkina Faso accueille plus de 47 000 réfugiés maliens dont plus de 5 000 sont arrivés depuis le début de l’année. Au Niger, le PAM fournit une assistance alimentaire à environ 50 000 réfugiés alors qu’en Mauritanie, environ 74 000 réfugiés reçoivent une aide du PAM.

Au Burkina Faso, Mme Cousin a également visité un centre local de nutrition, un programme de repas scolaires et un projet de conservation des sols, soutenus par le PAM, ses bailleurs et ses partenaires. Elle a remarqué que ces activités ont permis de limiter l’impact de la sécheresse de l’année dernière et permettront aux communautés de mieux résister et faire face aux futurs chocs.

«Il ne s’agit pas de se demander ‘si’ il y aura une nouvelle sécheresse mais plutôt quand est-ce qu’elle aura lieu. Si nous continuons sur le chemin que nous avons entamé l’année dernière, nous pouvons bâtir la résilience au Sahel,» a indiqué Mme Cousin en faisant référence aux programmes destinés à aider les agriculteurs à améliorer et vendre leurs récoltes et aux projets qui visent à créer des biens communautaires comme les systèmes d’irrigation et les initiatives pour dynamiser l’économie locale.

Cette année, le PAM prévoit d’atteindre plus d’un million de personnes au Mali et un million de personnes au Burkina Faso à travers de divers programmes notamment une assistance auprès des personnes déplacées et des programmes de repas scolaires, de vivres contre formation, de bons d’achat alimentaire et de transferts monétaires qui permettent aux populations d’acheter des vivres produit localement et de nutrition pour les mères et les jeunes enfants.

En 2013, le PAM prévoit de venir en aide à 5,5 millions de personnes dans les huit pays affectés par le conflit au Mali et la sécheresse de l’année dernière- le Burkina Faso, le Cameroun, la Gambie, le Mali, la Mauritanie, le Niger, le Sénégal et le Tchad. Le budget total de ces opérations s’élève à 611 millions de dollars.

Highlights

• USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Networks (FEWSNET) predicts increases in food prices in Nigeria due to loss of crops from 2012 flood and due to insecurity in Nigerian Sahel

• In the month of January 2013, a total of 13,574 children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) were admitted to 479 UNICEF supported Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) sites across Northern Nigeria

• In response to flood disaster UNICEF continues to provide water, sanitation, medical supplies and promote hygiene in most affected communities in 8 states

• HIV and Education sectors lack funding for scaling up activities in order to reduce HIVmalnutrition linked child mortality and to increase awareness on child development

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• A record crop was gathered in 2012 and rangelands have recovered well

• The food supply situation has improved significantly in 2012/13 compared to the previous year

• However, household assets, saving and the health and nutritional status of the population has been severely eroded following recent successive severe food crises

• Humanitarian assistance continues to be needed to improve access to food and protect the livelihoods of food insecure and vulnerable people

By Brianna Collins
Creative Services Associate

Our emergency nutrition program helps those affected by drought in the Horn of Africa

In 2011, more than 20% of people in the arid southern region of Kenya called Garbatulla District were suffering from deadly malnutrition due to severe drought. In response to these alarming numbers, Action Against Hunger provided emergency nutrition programs in twenty-five communities throughout Garbatulla District. Our teams trained local leaders and volunteers to help identify and educate those in need, and worked collaboratively with these volunteers to strengthen and improve our programs based on feedback from participants.

People enrolled in the program—mostly women and children—were screened and treated for malnutrition and other illnesses, and given emergency food provisions. They also received health, nutrition and hygiene education, including food preparation, breastfeeding, and hand washing demonstrations. Our field staff and community volunteers helped more than 11,000 people suffering from severe malnutrition, and we’re proud to share the stories of two such families.

Emergency Intervention in Tanna

In the small community of Tanna, drought and widespread food shortages forced many families to resort to drastic measures to find food. One mother foraged for what scarce seeds she could find and sold them to goat herders so she could buy food for her three young children. But the money she made only afforded her family one meal a day. Some days, she and her children had to eat weeds to stay alive. When she enrolled her children in our emergency nutrition program, they received the therapeutic nutritional care they needed, along with the food supplies, medical treatment, and hygiene education necessary to stay healthy.

“Before the program started, we were eating weeds and had no food, and my children were weak and frail. Since starting the program, my children’s health improved; they gained weight and could play happily like normal energetic children. We have also learned how to prepare nutritious porridge, and learned better health and hygiene practices. We are very grateful because, aside from getting food, our children were able to get medical treatment and be vaccinated.”
– Mother of three from Tanna, Garbatulla District, Kenya

Treatment and Education in Madoyaqa

For a mother in the pastoral community of Madoyaqa, losing her livestock to drought meant the frightening possibility of losing her four children to deadly malnutrition. Struggling to provide for her children, she registered with us to receive therapeutic care, and food and medicine for her children. After her children’s treatment ended, she was able to keep them healthy by practicing proper hand washing, breastfeeding, and food preparation techniques that she learned from our workshops.

“During the drought period, my children were very sick. We would go a whole day with one meal or no meal at all. Since the program began, I have been able to feed all my children and they are in good health. We learned a lot about hygiene and breastfeeding. This program has helped so many people who were on the verge of serious suffering. We appreciate the program and Action Against Hunger as a whole.”
–Mother of four from Madoyaqa, Garbatulla District, Kenya

This program significantly reduced the rate of childhood malnutrition throughout Garbatulla District. With our programs throughout Kenya and the Horn of Africa, we continue to help families affected by drought and shortages—like the families showcased above—overcome hunger before it becomes deadly.

03/19/2013 10:00 GMT

Par Serge DANIEL

SEVARE (Mali), 19 mars 2013 (AFP) - "Je ne veux pas pour le moment retourner chez moi. La guerre n'est pas encore terminée, et je n'ai pas à manger dans mon village", lâche une jeune femme. Comme elle, de nombreux déplacés du camp de Sévaré, dans le centre du Mali, n'envisagent pas encore de rentrer dans le Nord.

Près de 600 personnes vivent sous des dizaines de tentes dans ce camp de déplacés géré par les autorités locales avec le concours de l'ONU et d'organisations humanitaires, installé sur un site écrasé par un soleil brûlant à environ 600 km au nord-est de Bamako.

Si une opération armée franco-africaine a permis depuis janvier de reconquérir les grandes villes du nord du Mali telles que Gao, occupées depuis l'an dernier par des groupes islamistes armés, Mariétou, une mère de famille quinquagénaire, attend encore.

"Je ne veux pas repartir tout de suite dans mon village qui est non loin de Gao. Il paraît que les islamistes sont toujours dans mon village. Et comment je vais manger?", glisse-t-elle, entourée de cinq de ses enfants.

Plus loin, des enfants jouent au foot, d'autres s'amusent près des robinets qui crachent de l'eau potable. A l'entrée du camp, de nombreuses femmes assises sur des nattes regardent la télévision.

"Certains qui étaient ici sont repartis chez eux, mais beaucoup d'autres ne veulent pas retourner", confirme Aïcha Dembélé, animatrice dans le camp.

Sur place, les déplacés ont droit à des rations alimentaires, grâce au Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) notamment, et reçoivent des soins médicaux.

"Nous ne pouvons pas pour le moment avoir tout ça dans aucune des trois régions du Nord, si nous retournons là-bas", fait valoir Boubel, un jeune éleveur qui dit avoir perdu tout son troupeau à cause de la crise dans le pays.

Stress

A l'infirmerie, le docteur Souleymane Sanogo raconte recevoir des déplacés qui parfois "souffrent d'ulcère à cause du stress". "En discutant avec eux, on se rend compte que le stress s'explique par le fait qu'ils ont pour le moment peur de rentrer chez eux".

Il montre du doigt une femme assise sur un banc, tête baissée: elle aussi refuse de regagner son village de la région de Tombouctou, mythique cité du Nord-Ouest, même si son mari et trois de ses six enfants ont déjà pris le chemin du retour.

A Sévaré et à Mopti, la grande ville du centre dont le bourg de Sévaré dépend administrativement, et dans les environs, il y a au total quelque "40.000 personnes déplacées venant essentiellement" du Nord et vivant dans des camps ou des familles d'accueil, explique Ibrahima Hama Traoré, gouverneur de la région de Mopti.

"La vie reprend son cours normal dans la région depuis l'intervention des troupes franco-africaines, mais la situation des déplacés reste quand même une préoccupation", insiste-t-il.

Après une visite de ce camp, Ertharin Cousin, la directrice exécutive du PAM, a d'ailleurs averti dimanche que "la crise n'est pas terminée au Mali", même si les combats sont désormais concentrés dans l'extrême Nord-Est, où est retranché le gros des jihadistes.

Quelque 170.000 Maliens ont fui le nord du Mali pour des pays voisins et 260.000 autres ont été déplacés dans le pays depuis début 2012, selon l'ONU. Le PAM compte apporter en 2013 une assistance alimentaire à plus d'un million de personnes au Mali, pays frappé en outre l'an dernier - notamment dans le Nord - par une nouvelle sécheresse comme ses voisins du Sahel.

Mais selon le maire de Mopti, Oumar Bathily, la présence des déplacés pose un autre sérieux problème, lié à la scolarisation des enfants.

"Trois mille enfants déplacés sont scolarisés dans les localités de Mopti et de Sévaré, ainsi qu'aux alentours", indique-t-il. Résultat: les salles de classe sont bondées, pénalisant gravement les cours.

"Aujourd'hui, dans une salle de classe à Mopti ou à Sévaré, il y a 180 élèves", souligne le maire. "C'est la catastrophe".

sd/tmo/hba

© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

Preliminary Appeal Target: US$ 1,730,514
Less: Pledges/Contribution: US$ 696,800
Balance Requested: US$ 1,033,714

Geneva, 19th March 2013

Dear Colleagues,

Following a military coup d’état in Mali in March 2012, a combination of the separatist Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the Islamic jihadist Ansar Dine captured all of the northern Malian regions of Tombouctou, Gao and Kidal. Large numbers of civilians fled to the Malian southern regions and to the capital, Bamako, as well as across the borders into neighbouring countries.

Most organizations working on relief and development (including ACT Alliance members) had to abandon, at least temporarily, their operations in the north; later they resumed assistance in a restricted way to people that had moved southwards.

Mali is now the epicentre of a triple crisis currently affecting the Sahel i) The continued humanitarian impact of acute crisis of 2012 due to factors such as drought in 2011, high food prices and low agriculture production; ii) The underlying chronic nature of food insecurity, malnutrition and the erosion of resilience in the region; and iii) The current Mali crisis, which has resulted in the significant displacement of IDPs within the country and an on-going exodus of refugees to neighbouring countries.

On 11 January 2013, France launched a military intervention to assist Malian government forces to fight off the Islamist groups after they moved south and seized the town of Konna, as well as to stop their southward advance. The French have continued the air strikes, extending the campaign to Diabali, Lere, Gao and Douentza; as well as preventing their advance southward.

As of 27 January 2013, 15,208 new Malian refugees had arrived in Burkina Faso (5,002), Mauritania (8,468) and Niger (1,738). These figures may vary depending on the escalation of the situation in the combat zones. Based on monitoring of bus stations and certain public routes (pigasses) on 21 of February 2013, IOM estimates that Bamako is the district hosting more displaced (21% of total, 7908 households). Mopti (16%, 6122 households) and Segou (17%, 6553 households) also have a large number of IDPs. The total is 260,655.

An update on 22 February states that the risk of food insecurity is increasing in the north, where WFP had previously estimated that 585,000 people were food insecure and 1.2 million were at risk of food insecurity. It is estimated that in 2013, 660,000 children under 5 will suffer from malnutrition and 210,000 of those from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

According to ACT Mali Forum preliminary needs assessment report, issues as education, protection, human rights (SGBV) needs are strongly highlighted. Therefore Food security, Education, Protection, Human rights, WASH, Reconciliation and peace building, Assistance to returnees, early recovery and resilience will be part of the emergency response.

GENÈVE, 19 mars 2013 (IRIN) - Il y a un grand pas entre l'intention déclarée d'un pays d'élaborer une politique de lutte contre la sécheresse et sa mise en application sur le terrain. Voilà l'opinion exprimée par plusieurs participants à la Réunion de haut niveau sur les politiques nationales en matière de sécheresse, récemment organisée à Genève.

Les sécheresses sont les catastrophes naturelles les plus coûteuses, occasionnant des pertes de six à huit milliards de dollars chaque année. Et elles sont de plus en plus fréquentes. [ http://www.irinnews.org/fr/Report/97671/Bilan-des-pertes-li%C3%A9es-aux-... ]

« Les sécheresses sont de plus en plus fréquentes et elles sont devenues un phénomène quasi-permanent dans certaines régions de l'Afrique, marqué par des inondations et ne laissant aucune phase de récupération aux foyers vulnérables », a dit Gideon Galu, un scientifique basé en Afrique, qui travaille pour le Réseau de systèmes d'alerte précoce contre la famine (FEWSNET).

En dépit de ces faits, seuls quelques pays ont mis en place des politiques en matière de sécheresse.

Après cinq jours de discussions, les participants à la première conférence mondiale sur la sécheresse organisée à Genève ont adopté une déclaration non contraignante appelant les pays à élaborer des politiques nationales de gestion de la sécheresse et à les mettre en ouvre. [ http://www.hmndp.org/sites/default/files/docs/HMNDP-Declaration_13387_fr... ]

Le Premier ministre du Niger, Brigi Rafini, a dit à IRIN, « Il faut respecter la souveraineté des pays. On ne peut pas les obliger à mettre en ouvre des politiques, mais la conférence aura au moins permis une sensibilisation à la prévention [de l'impact destructeur de la sécheresse], et les délégués ont découvert la valeur de la coopération [entre les secteurs et les agences] ».

Recommandations en dix points

La déclaration présente une série de possibilités d'action. Le document de politique recommande un processus en dix étapes inspiré du plan de préparation à la sécheresse élaboré par les États-Unis. Les étapes associent la prévention des conséquences de la sécheresse, le renforcement de la résilience des pays et des communautés, la réponse à la sécheresse et la science : [ http://www.hmndp.org/sites/default/files/docs/HMNDP-Policy-document_1222... ]

• Lancer un groupe de travail national sur la sécheresse
• Déterminer les objectifs d'une politique nationale fondée sur les risques de la sécheresse
• Mener des consultations ouvertes à tous, des collectivités aux hauts législateurs, et résoudre les conflits liés à l'eau entre les secteurs
• Obtenir des données sur les ressources disponibles et nécessaires pour la prévention et la réponse à sécheresse, ainsi que sur les communautés les plus vulnérables
• Préparer les éléments clés d'une politique de lutte contre la sécheresse : surveillance, alerte précoce, prévision; évaluation des risques et de l'impact; et mesures d'atténuation et de réponse
• Déterminer les besoins et les lacunes en matière de recherche pour les institutions qui travaillent sur les questions liées à la sécheresse
• Intégrer les aspects scientifiques et politiques de la gestion de la sécheresse
• Promouvoir la politique et renforcer la sensibilisation
• Développer des programmes éducatifs adaptés à chaque groupe d'âge et à chaque communauté
• Examiner et réviser la politique

Les étapes mettent l'accent sur une approche fondée sur les preuves. Par exemple, les études d'impact aideraient les pays à planifier leurs interventions, telles que les protections sociales et le soutien technique. Ces interventions pourraient inclure la distribution de semences résistantes à la sécheresse, une meilleure gestion de l'eau et du sol ou la souscription à une assurance.

« Il faut des informations de bonnes qualité sur la sécheresse pour pouvoir identifier les zones et les collectivités vulnérables », a dit Bruce Stewart, Directeur du climat et de l'hydrologie de l'Organisation mondiale de la météorologie (OMM), le principal organisateur de la conférence.

Comprendre les nécessités

Il y a cependant un décalage important entre les politiques préconisées et les capacités des pays les plus vulnérables.

Les sécheresses récentes dans la Corne de l'Afrique, au Sahel et aux États-Unis ont eu d'importantes conséquences humanitaires. Entre 2011 et 2012, le Sahel a enregistré une baisse de 26 pour cent de la production de céréales suite à la sécheresse, indiquent les Nations Unies. La situation reste critique - plus de dix millions de personnes souffrent toujours d'insécurité alimentaire, et 1,4 millions d'enfants sont confrontés à un risque de malnutrition aigüe. [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97647/Drought-response-requires-getting-d... ]

Mais les pays de la région du Sahel ont encore des difficultés à mettre de l'ordre dans leur réponse de base à la sécheresse. La plupart sont loin de développer des approches intersectorielles élaborées et les meilleures pratiques fondées sur des données scientifiques, comme préconisé lors de la conférence. [ http://www.hmndp.org/sites/default/files/docs/ScienceDocument14212_Eng.pdf ]

Birama Diarra, un des responsables de la Direction nationale de la météorologie du Mali, a indiqué que son pays devait encore améliorer son système d'alerte précoce et sa capacité à disséminer l'information aux personnes sur le terrain.

Les habitants de certaines régions de la Mauritanie ont été surpris par l'arrivée de la sécheresse en 2011. Selon Mohamed Elighali Ould Khhtour, directeur de l'Office national de météorologie de la Mauritanie, la capacité à mettre en ouvre des systèmes d'alerte précoce de base et à mener des évaluations est limitée. « Nous n'avons pas les ressources nécessaires pour cela, nous avons besoin de financements, du soutien des bailleurs de fonds et des agences d'aide humanitaire », a-t-il dit. [ http://www.irinnews.org/report/95885/MAURITANIA-Sharing-to-survive ]

Franz Uirab, chef du Service de météorologie de la Namibie, indique que son pays a un plan de réponse aux catastrophes, mais qu'il est loin d'être parfait. « En ce moment, le sud de la Namibie est touché par la sécheresse, mais nous sommes plutôt réactifs », a-t-il dit. « Nous ne nous rendrons pas dans les zones touchées pour réaliser des évaluations poussées [de la vulnérabilité]. Nous réalisons des enquêtes rapides afin de planifier notre réponse lorsqu'une catastrophe se [produit]. Nous n'avons pas ni les capacités ni le temps pour planifier des mesures de prévention ».

Des délégués à la conférence, comme MM Uirab, Khhtour et Diarra, ont retenu qu'il fallait se concentrer sur la prévention des crises et sur la réponse à la sécheresse.

« Nous devrons coordonner nos plans conformément au cadre d'action proposé à la conférence, tout en le modifiant pour répondre à nos besoins bien sûr », a dit M. Uirab.

Selon M. Stewart, l'OMM organise régulièrement des ateliers et donne accès à des cours en ligne aux climatologues et aux météorologistes afin de renforcer la capacité. « Mais nous sommes aussi limités par nos capacités et par des ressources réduites », a-t-il dit.

Les partenariats mondiaux ont également un rôle à jouer. Le Partenariat mondial sur l'eau participe à l'établissement d'un Programme de gestion intégrée de la sécheresse, qui vise à intégrer la réponse à et les mesures d'atténuation de la sécheresse à tous les niveaux. Alex Simalabwi du Partenariat mondial sur l'eau indique que des programmes ont été mis en ouvre dans plusieurs pays. « Nous espérons en tirer profit », a-t-il dit. [ http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/wcp/drought/idmp/documents/IDMP_Concept_No... ]

Volonté politique

Finalement, l'application des recommandations relatives à la politique de lutte contre la sécheresse proposées lors de la conférence nécessite une volonté politique, a indiqué Jerry Lengoasa, Secrétaire général adjoint de l'OMM.

Si l'on se fie à la présence des législateurs à la réunion, on peut dire qu'il y a un manque de volonté politique.

Seuls quelques hauts responsables de l'aide humanitaire et quelques ministres ont participé à la Réunion de haut niveau organisée pour les dignitaires et les ministres. M. Brigi Rafini du Niger était le seul chef d'État présent à la réunion.

William Lacy Swing, Directeur général de l'Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM), faisait partie des quelques responsables d'agence qui ont participé à la Réunion de haut niveau. Il a noté que la sécheresse était le deuxième facteur des migrations.

« Vous imaginez bien le genre de problèmes auxquels nous sommes confrontés - les sécheresses ne sont pas aussi graves que les inondations ou que les tremblements de terre, donc elles n'attirent pas autant d'attention », a dit Sergio Zelaya Bonilla, coordonnateur de la politique et du plaidoyer de la Convention des Nations Unies sur la lutte contre la désertification (CLD). « Mais toutes les personnes vraiment concernées par la question de la sécheresse étaient présentes [à la conférence] ».

Et les délégués se sont engagés à promouvoir les orientations politiques présentées lors de la réunion.

« Nous transmettrons tout ce que nous avons entendu en espérant que nos gouvernements nous écoutent », a dit M. Diarra.

jk/rz-mg/amz

[FIN]

DAKAR, 19 March 2013 (IRIN) - Air and ground battles have left Mali's central and northern regions littered with unexploded ordnance (UXO), seriously endangering the lives of children and the return of displaced people.

Mali plunged into chaos in early 2012, and the intervention by French forces in January 2013 to staunch a southwards advance by militant Islamists intensified combat and caused further population displacement.

Of the 53 people injured by the left-over explosives since April 2012, 38 were children as of March 2013. Five children and two adults have also been killed since then, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"We are strongly advising people not to return to their homes as the security conditions have not been met. [Clearing of] landmines [and UXO] would be one of the conditions for people to return. We urge them to remain where they are," said Eduardo Cue, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) public information officer in Mali.

Cue said unconfirmed reports showed that around 250 people were returning to their homes every week. "The road is open and there are buses from Bamako to Mopti area, but it's a minimal flow. Local and regional government officials have not returned and so there is no government administration in those areas. Services have not been resumed," he told IRIN.

An estimated 431,000 people (260,665 IDPs and 170,313 refugees) have been displaced and 4.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Abandoned mortars, artillery shells, rockets, grenades, bullets and aircraft bombs appear to be concentrated in the towns of Diabaly, Douentza, Konna and Gao.

"They [UXO] are all over the place; on the streets, close to schools and health centres," Hector Calderon, UNICEF's head of communication in Mali, told IRIN. "Children are more susceptible because they run around, play and can pick up the left-over ordnance."

Northern Mali was overrun by armed separatist Tuareg rebels and Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants following the government overthrow in March 2012. Although the Islamist militants have been driven out of much of the region, humanitarian access remains difficult and security is uncertain.

Thirteen-year old Sidiki described how heavy fighting damaged his school in Konna.

"Soldiers were shooting missiles right there behind the school building. It was so noisy. I was scared. I thought bullets would reach us," said Sidiki in comments to UNICEF. "We ran away. Everyone ran and went home.

"When we returned we found our school damaged. There are big holes in the wall. There were [munitions] everywhere in the courtyard of the school, all kinds. small and big."

"Direct threat"

"Explosive remnants of war are a direct threat to people's lives and limbs, but also adversely affect livelihoods and disrupt daily routines. The presence of such dangerous items is an obvious source of fear and distress that prevents affected communities from resuming normal lives," said Marc Vaillant, programme officer for the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Mali.

In December, UNICEF estimated that at least 100,000 children were at risk of being harmed by UXO. However, since the escalation of hostilities with the arrival of the French-led intervention that number has doubled.

"Civilians feel the threat of these explosives," said Calderon. "One mother was afraid to bring her child to a health centre because she was scared the health centre was contaminated with ammunition. It's clear that the left-over ammunition has impacted the lives of these communities."

Although the bulk of UXO is due to the recent fighting, there are also dangers of anti-tank mines in northern Mali along the border with Algeria that predate the current conflict, according to UNMAS.

Improvised explosive devices that can be triggered remotely, car and suicide bombs, insecure ammunition storage, and the widespread proliferation of small and light weapons, are among the other security threats, said UNMAS.

"We have a duty to address this through the swift deployment of survey and clearance teams and by providing risk education to those in need," Vaillant told IRIN. UNMAS has deployed survey teams to Mopti and Timbuktu regions and has trained 30 members of the Malian army in UXO disposal.

Recently French forces, now battling Islamist rebels alongside Chadian troops in the Ifoghas mountains near the Algerian border, discovered [ http://news.yahoo.com/french-mali-troops-recover-explosives-gao-13592812... ] some 800kg of explosive materials in a house in Gao city, where the remnants of militant forces last month staged retaliatory attacks, including suicide bombings, after being driven out of the city.

ob/cb
[END]

MENTAO CAMP, Burkina Faso, March 19 (UNHCR) – Aicha is suffering: she is far from her home in the central Malian district of Mopti and she has caught a pulmonary infection, which is compounded by the harmattan, the dusty trade wind that sweeps from the Sahara to the Atlantic coast from November to March.

The 45-year-old and her four children arrived in Mentao Refugee Camp in north-west Burkina Faso less than two weeks after the start on January 11 of the French military intervention in Mali to push back anti-government militants.

At first, the fast-evolving situation in Mali raised hopes that many displaced people would be able to go back to their homes soon. But the reality is that thousands have since fled to neighbouring countries – mainly Burkina Faso and Mauritania – to escape the fighting or from fear of reprisals. They need help.

In Burkina Faso, many of those who have fled across the border are ethnic Tuareg and Arab women and children, like Aicha and her young. Their menfolk are staying behind to take care of their cattle, indicating that people are increasingly fleeing out of desperation.

New arrivals are met at the border by mobile teams from UNHCR or its partners, and transported to Mentao or Goudebou refugee camps, where they receive assistance, such as hot meals upon arrival and traditional shelter kits, and are individually registered. More than 6,000 have arrived since the French intervention in January.

Aicha's journey to Mentao was not so straightforward. She had resisted earlier chances to flee from her central Mali village, Boni, despite the deteriorating social and economic situation. She felt she had too much to lose.

"We are simple people, all we have is our animals and our friends, nothing else, nothing more," Aicha said of her life. But over the past year, things became even harder as war engulfed the country and rebels took over the north and much of the centre of the country. "Our worst fears have now become reality. We left our animals and our friends. We feel we have only fear, no more life," she said, explaining her situation.

The developments in Mali last year took thousands of farming folk like Aicha and her husband by surprise, although inequality between the sub-Saharan people of the south and the Tuareg and Arabs of the north had led to separatist conflict in 1990 and 2007. Most of Aicha's Arab relatives fled to Burkina Faso or Mauritania soon after the fighting first erupted between government soldiers and Tuareg rebels in January last year.

The victorious Tuareg rebels were followed by militants, who imposed strict Islamic law in areas under their control in the north and centre, including Boni. Aicha was not used to such an austere lifestyle, such as having to wear a veil.

"Life was difficult in 2012, but it was bearable," she noted. "I would wake up and prepare food for my children before they went out to look after our livestock. I would spend time with my friends when my husband went to Boni to sell some animals. It was correct."

In January, the fighting swung back to the region as the French-backed Malian army advanced north against the militants. Aicha could hear the sounds of war rumbling closer and decided she must flee to save her children.

Other villagers were thinking the same and the men clubbed together to hire a truck to take their wives and children to nearby northern Burkina Faso and then on to Mentao, a camp of 11,000 located about 80 kilometres from the border. Some of the villagers of Boni already had relatives there.

But instead of taking them to Mentao, the drivers duped the group of 20 women and children, leaving them at a village 60kms short of their destination after a long and uncomfortable journey without food and water. Luckily, the locals took pity on the refugees and took them by donkey to Mentao.

In response to the spike in new arrivals, UNHCR staff based in the nearby town of Djibo opened a transit centre where refugees stay for two days in newly erected tents (for up to 500 people) before being moved to the camps. More latrines and bathing facilities were built in the transit centre to cope with the extra population.

Aicha and her group, after being stopped by police near Mentao, were taken by UNHCR protection staff to this transit centre, where they were interviewed and registered. "This is a particularly important time for those in categories regarded as most vulnerable, such as female-headed households, said UNHCR Protection Officer Euphrasie Oubda. "They can tell us about things like health problems and trauma and then we can give them the proper care," either directly or through humanitarian aid partners.

Aicha was then moved to Mentao Camp and her own space, where she receives regular visits from UNHCR community services staff. After a week there she felt safe but missed home. There is a small silver living: her four children will go to school for the first time.

"My oldest son, who is 10, has never been to school: he has been a shepherd most of his life," she told visitors. "Although life in Mentao has been better than I thought, life as a refugee is still not a correct life such as the one I had back home," she added, poignantly.

By Hugo Reichenberger in Mentao Camp, Burkina Faso

''I didn’t know that a soldier could or should play a role in protecting and helping the civilian population, especially women and children, who are the most vulnerable and exposed in conflicts,” said a Sergeant in the Mopti area in northern Mali.

He was one of the first 365 soldiers to have taken part in a capacity-building programme for defence and security forces. Covering issues such as the protection of women and children and international humanitarian law, the Ministry of Defence is running the training programme in partnership with UN Women and four other United Nations agencies.

Back on duty after his training, the Sergeant said, “For me the relevant modules were violence against women and girls. In my capacity as a soldier, I could never imagine that a man would be able to rape a girl on his own or collectively, let alone rape a child. … I’ve learnt a lot, especially about International Humanitarian Law.”

The programme aims to train 4,000 members of the defence and security forces and raise awareness of at least 20,000 armed forces personnel around essential notions concerning the protection of women and children, and international humanitarian law.

The topics covered in the training include: military conduct and civilian-military relations; gender issues and international resolutions on women, peace and security; international Humanitarian Law and the protection of civilian populations, especially women and children; gender-based violence, especially sexual violence in conflict situations and HIV/AIDS and STDs in conflict situations.

Members of all ranks of the armed forces have signed up to the programme. Women’s rights and gender issues are emerging as a necessity following the renewed occupation of northern regions on 9 January 2013. As of January 2013, the training had commenced with the Republican Guard, the Air Force, the Army, the Police and Military Engineers.

In the words of Commander Aminata Diabaté, Gender Focal Point within the Humanitarian Law Section, “The level of knowledge that trainees were able to assimilate was more than satisfactory. Personnel who have been deployed are currently in Sévaré Markala, Gao and Douentza. We are in contact with them; and on the basis of information we received … they are behaving more humanely, are putting their learning into practice and passing it on to those who have not had the benefit of these sessions.”

To avoid atrocities and other unethical behaviours, the general staff is overseeing the training of troops prior to their deployment in the field. Contacted by telephone, one of the soldiers in the Gao region who has received the training reiterated its benefits: “The training was very helpful to us. As I speak to you, we have rescued nine child soldiers who had been enlisted by jihadists who are with us in observance of the rights of children under different conventions (…) We are committed to respecting all the rules of international humanitarian law and having them respected by others. And that is something we are proud of today.”

For his part, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Colonel-Major Solomane Bamba notes that , “When Mali and its allies are trying to restore its territorial integrity, issues of international humanitarian law remain important, as do the protection of women and children in current armed conflicts.”

This programme is part of UN Women’s humanitarian mandate, which aims to strengthen armed forces and peace-keeping missions in the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence as well as human rights and women’s rights in conflict situations.

UN Women’s office in Mali has mobilized four agencies of the United Nations around this initiative, namely UNICEF, UNFPA, UNAIDS and UNHCR. Training will continue throughout the first quarter of 2013 and will be intensified in locations where service personnel are already on the ground.

« Je ne savais pas qu’un militaire pouvait ou devait jouer un rôle de protection et d’assistance, à la population civile, particulièrement les femmes et les enfants qui sont les plus vulnérables et exposés pendant les conflits » dit un Sergent dans la zone de Mopti, au Nord de Mali.

Il fut parmi les premiers 365 soldats qui ont déjà suivi un programme de renforcement des capacités des forces de défense et de sécurité. Traitant sur la protection des femmes, des enfants et le droit humanitaire international, le Ministère de la Défense — à travers l’État-major Général des Armées – déroule le programme en partenariat avec ONU Femmes et quatre autres agences des Nations Unies.

Redéployé après sa formation, le Sergent atteste que « Pour moi les modules pertinents ont été les violences faites aux femmes et aux filles. En ma qualité de militaire je ne pouvais jamais imaginer qu’un homme serait capable de violer une fille individuellement ou collectivement, encore moins des mineurs. … J’ai acquis beaucoup de connaissance, notamment sur le Droit Humanitaire International. »

Le programme vise à former 4.000 forces de défense et de sécurité et à sensibiliser 20.000 militaires sur le front sur les notions essentielles relatives à la protection des femmes, des enfants et le droit humanitaire international. Les thèmes abordés durant les formations sont : (1) Le code de conduite militaire et les relations civil-militaires ; (2) Les aspects genre et les résolutions internationales sur les femmes, la paix et la sécurité, (3) Le droit international humanitaire et la protection des populations, notamment des femmes ; (4) Le droit international humanitaire et la protection des enfants ; (5) Les violences basées sur le genre, notamment les violences sexuelles en situation de conflit ; (6) Le VIH/SIDA et les IST en situation de conflit.

Le programme a rencontré l’adhésion de toute la hiérarchie militaire. Les droits de femmes et la thématique du genre apparaissent désormais comme une nécessité suite à la reconquête des régions du Nord depuis le 9 Janvier 2013. Depuis le 18 Janvier 2013, les formations des troupes ont commencé avec la Garde républicaine, l’armée de l’air, l’armée de terre, la Gendarmerie et le Génie militaire.

Selon le Commandant Aminata Diabaté, Point Focal de Genre de la Section de Droit Humanitaire « Le niveau d’assimilation par les éléments est plus que satisfaisant. Les agents qui ont été déployés sont actuellement à Sévaré, Markala, Gao et Douentza. On est en contact avec eux, ils nous donnent des informations et sur la base des informations reçues … ils se comportent de la façon la plus humaine et appliquent les notions apprises tout en donnant les informations à ceux qui n’ont pas bénéficié de ces sessions ».

Pour éviter les exactions et autres comportements contraire à l’éthique, l’Etat-major veille à la formation des troupes avant leur déploiement sur le terrain. L’un des soldats formé qui se trouve dans la région de Gao joint par téléphone dira « La formation nous a été très utile. A l’heure où je vous parle nous avons récupéré neuf enfants soldats enrôlés par les djihadistes qui sont avec nous dans le respect des droits des enfants édictés par les différentes conventions (…) Nous sommes engagés à respecter et faire respecter toutes les règles du droit international humanitaire. Et de cela nous en sommes fiers aujourd’hui ».

Le Colonel Major Solomane Bamba, Chef d’État-major de l’Armée de l’Air estime pour sa part qu’ « au moment où le Mali et ses alliés sont en train de restaurer son intégrité territoriale, les questions de droit international humanitaire restent vives et la protection des femmes et des enfants dans les conflits armées d’actualité ».

Ce programme s’inscrit dans le mandat humanitaire d’ONU Femmes, qui vise au renforcement des forces armées et des missions de maintien de la paix, sur la prévention des violences sexuelles et violences basées sur le Genre ainsi que les droits humains et les droits de la femme en situation de conflit. Le bureau d’ONU Femmes au Mali a mobilisé autour de cette initiative quatre autres agences des Nations Unies, à savoir UNICEF, UNFPA, ONUSIDA, HCR. La formation continue au cours de ce premier trimestre 2013 et va être intensifié à l’endroit des Militaires qui sont déjà sur le terrain.

Kim Lewis

Last updated on: March 19, 2013 10:16 AM

The ongoing conflict in Mali has led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. The toll can be devastating as families are uprooted and forced to live in circumstances that they are not used to.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, IDMC, found for women and girls, it is especially traumatic. On top of the harsh rules they are now living under in a new location, there are countless reports of sexual violence, even forced marriages of very young girls to their assailants.

Elizabeth Rushing, IDMC’s country analyst for West Africa, recently returned from visiting women in Bamako who told her of key challenges they are now facing as internally displaced people, or IDP’s.

“The message from these women was very clear. Essentially, after the Jihadist group took control of northern Mali, life took on a new terrifying reality. But it became dangerous and humiliating for women specifically. And that’s the message that these women were getting across to me,” explained Rushing. She also said the women fled their homes to safer locations like Bamako out of fear for their lives and the lives of their daughters and nieces whom they brought with them on their journey.

In terms of danger, Rushing said she was told of countless reports of sexual violence in the north.

“The women I spoke to had all witnessed or heard of rape or gang rape, or forced marriages. And sometimes those forced marriages were with very young girls. So, life was very dangerous. But also in terms of just shear humiliation, the armed groups which were operating in the north, their imposition of their own twisted version…of Sharia law, [a version which] is indeed removed from most interpretations of that law, is completely new to these groups. Suddenly, these women can’t leave their homes. They can’t have contact with men. They can’t sell goods to men, and that’s often their livelihood. And they have to cover themselves with heavy scarfs even when its 100 degrees Fahrenheit outdoors,” described Rushing.

The women also expressed how there is no more joy in their lives. However Rushing pointed out that despite these new harsh living conditions, the women still displayed a sense of hope. She said all they want to do is go home and rebuild their lives. However, right now the security situation in northern Mali is still unstable. Rushing emphasized it could take years before it is safe enough for them to return home.

03/19/2013 18:46 GMT

LYON, 19 mars 2013 (AFP) - Le ministre français des Affaires étrangères Laurent Fabius a annoncé mardi la création d'un fonds d'aide financé par les collectivités locales françaises avec pour mission d'aider le Mali à "gagner la paix" après l'intervention militaire contre les groupes islamistes armés.

"Nous sommes en train de gagner la guerre, il faut aussi gagner la paix", a déclaré Laurent Fabius devant la presse, à son arrivée à une conférence réunissant à Lyon collectivités locales actives au Mali, ONG et représentants maliens.

"Nous créons auprès de la cellule de crise du Quai d'Orsay un fonds d'aide" d'urgence, le Faceco (Fonds d'action extérieure des collectivités locales), qui sera "étroitement coordonné" par la diplomatie française, a ajouté M. Fabius.

Cette initiative vise à "éviter la dispersion" des projets d'aide et "fédérer les initiatives", a ensuite expliqué M. Fabius à la conférence.

"L'utilisation des ressources ainsi utilisées fera l'objet d'une traçabilité précise. Les élus seront informés en temps réel de leur affection", a-t-il plaidé en faveur de ce fonds "opérationnel depuis aujourd'hui".

La France intervient depuis janvier aux cotés des forces maliennes et de soldats d'autres pays d'Afrique contre les islamistes armés qui occupaient le nord du Mali depuis 2012.

"Il faut reconstruire les hôpitaux, les écoles, les ponts détruits par les terroristes", a confirmé Tieman Hubert Coulibaly, le chef de la diplomatie malienne, interrogé par l'AFP en marge de la conférence. "Nous ne voulons plus reproduire les erreurs du passé. Chaque centime ira aux projets", a-t-il assuré.

"Nous avons à faire face à des urgences humanitaires qui ne laissent pas beaucoup de temps", a ajouté le ministre malien devant les participants, évoquant notamment le sort des déplacés.

Entre autres projets déjà soutenus par des collectivités locales françaises a été évoqué celui de la Région Bretagne en faveur de la filière coton équitable au Mali ou encore le projet d'assainissement de l'eau de la ville de Gao (nord) par la ville de Maxéville (est).

Depuis 2006, plus de 35 millions d'euros ont été alloués au Mali par les collectivités territoriales françaises au titre de leur aide au développement.

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Slight improvement in trade flows to the north from southern supply markets

KEY MESSAGES

• Improving trade flows into northern areas of the country with the reopening of major roads to the south and to Niger, along with an influx of humanitarian assistance, is helping to stock markets with adequate supplies of staple foods, particularly in agropastoral areas of the Timbuktu and Gao regions. However, unstable security conditionsin the north are a continued threat to humanitarian assistance and commercial activities.

• Prices for millet from southern Mali are 15 to 30 percent lower than last month on the Timbuktu and Gao markets and are at stable but high levels on the Kidal market. Similar to other markets throughout the country, food prices at this market are 10 to 30 percent above the five-year average.

• The depletion of food stocks, a decline in livestock sales(due to low demand), and a lack of income-generating opportunities for most pastoralists in conflict-affected areas are limiting household food access. A continuation of the status quo will propel pastoral populations in the northern part of the country, who are currently Stressed (IPC Phase 2), into Crisis (IPC Phase 3) by April.