Period covered: January to December 2012

Overview

The DREF allocated a total amount of CHF 22,836,393 in 2012. Seventy-five per cent of the allocations, CHF 17,076,253, were made as grants to small-scale operations implemented by National Societies for which no emergency appeal was launched, known as DREF operations. CHF 5,760,140 was allocated as loans of start-up funding to emergency appeals.

The amount allocated was 3 per cent higher than forecast and 21 per cent higher than in 2011. The amount allocated as grants to DREF operations was 31 per cent higher than in 2011 and approximately the same amount as in 2010. The amount allocated as loans to emergency appeals was almost the same as in 2011.

Financial situation and analysis

The budget for 2012 was CHF18,029,890. Income amounted to CHF 18,709,204 (104 per cent of target). Contributions amounted to CHF18,690,576 and CHF18,628 was paid in interest on the balance of the fund.

The opening balance on 1 January 2012 was CHF 7,398,529 and the balance on 31 December 2012, CHF 8,566,653 .

CHF 23,124,899 was disbursed as allocations for operations in 2012, of which CHF 9,262 was disbursed to cover small DREF operation closing deficits on 2 operations from 2011. CHF 6,156,322 was reimbursed to the fund as DREF loans and unspent balances of DREF grants made in 2012 and previous years.

The DREF coordination expenditure amounted to CHF 572,503, which is 8 per cent above the annual budget of CHF 529,891. The over-spend was primarily costs of external audits of DREF operations carried out by National Societies working under a cash transfer arrangement, which were not budgeted for.

Number of people reached

Operations supported by DREF during the twelve month period were aiming to bring assistance to approximately 12.3 million people. This number includes direct and indirect beneficiaries of assistance, such as people reached through social mobilization for vaccination and hygiene promotion campaigns.

Context

There were fewer major sudden onset disasters in 2012 compared to the average for the last five years and no mega disasters. During the first six months there were a number of tropical storms during the cyclone season in the Indian Ocean which led to limited scale emergency appeals for Mozambique, Madagascar and the Comoros islands. The rainy season in southern Africa generated only one request for response to floods from Malawi Red Cross. At the end of June, multiple countries in southern Africa were in fact reporting drought conditions which have led to poor harvests and which are exacerbating existing food insecurity.

Three of the biggest appeals launched by the International Federation in 2012 were linked to the population movement caused by continuing crisis in Syria and the Middle East. No DREF funding was requested at the launch of these appeals.

The majority of emergency appeals launched in 2012 were for African National Societies and 15 of the 23 appeals were for slowly evolving disasters such as food insecurity in the Sahel and southern Africa regions and for food insecurity and population movement in East Africa. In addition to these and to the appeals launched to support response to floods mentioned above, one appeal was launched to support the Sierra Leone Red Cross to respond to the serious outbreak of cholera. Only one appeal did not receive start-up funding from the DREF: the Kenya complex emergency appeal.

The La Niña phase experienced in 2011 weakened and became neutral over the first six months of 2012, while a weak El Niño developed after mid-August 2012. Globally hydro-meteorological events – floods, cyclones and storms - were less frequent in 2012 than the ten year average. The exceptions were the active typhoon season from in the north-western Pacific from May to December with 25 tropical storms, 15 typhoons of which 5 were extreme typhoons and the particularly destructive North Atlantic hurricane season with 19 tropical storms, 10 hurricanes and 2 major hurricanes. Hurricane Sandy affected the Caribbean and the United States, leading to emergency appeals for Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica. In Asia, the typhoons primarily affected the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and North Korea. A major appeal was launched for the Philippines after Typhoon Bopha, followed by successive storms, caused extensive damage and loss of life in December. The DREF made start-up funding loans to all these appeals.

FAITS SAILLANTS

• Plus de 50 000 personnes vulnérables ont fuit des conflits intercommunautaires au Darfur et on besoin d’assistance humanitaire à Tissi dans la région du Sila.
• Selon une évaluation nationale de la sécurité alimentaire des ménages ruraux, environ 13% des ménages au Tchad sont en insécurité alimentaire sévère.

05/14/2013 12:24 GMT

PARIS, 14 mai 2013 (AFP) - Paris met en place un dispositif pour garantir l'efficacité de son aide au Mali et éviter le détournement ou la mauvaise utilisation des fonds, a annoncé mardi le ministre au Développement, Pascal Canfin, à la veille d'une conférence à Bruxelles sur le Mali.

"Nous allons mettre en place une expérience pilote avec un site internet qui présentera chacun des projets financés par la France, et un calendrier de la réalisation du projet", a expliqué M. Canfin à l'AFP.

"Si un projet ne se réalise pas ou est en retard, les gens pourront prévenir par téléphone ou SMS, via une hotline, de ce qui n'a pas encore été fait. Cela permettra aussi de décentraliser le suivi citoyen de l'aide et favorisera l'appropriation par les Maliens des projets", a-t-il estimé.

"Nous sommes en discussion avec nos partenaires pour que ce dispositif soit intégré par les autres bailleurs", a-t-il ajouté.

"Dans une période de contrainte budgétaire, il est essentiel de garantir la traçabilité et l'efficacité de l'aide", a insisté M. Canfin, rappelant que "par le passé, au Mali, on sait qu'une partie de l'aide publique a été détournée, qu'il y a eu des problèmes de gouvernance".

Le ministre s'est refusé à préciser le montant de l'aide française qui devrait être annoncé mercredi par le président François Hollande à Bruxelles, où les organisateurs de la conférence "Ensemble pour le renouveau du Mali" espèrent lever 1,96 milliard d'euros.

"La priorité de la France est que ces deux milliards d'euros puissent être mobilisés, et j'ai très bon espoir que nous y arrivions même si le montant de toutes les contributions, en particulier celle des Américains, n'est pas encore connu", a déclaré M. Canfin.

"La France fera une annonce qui sera supérieure à ce que nous faisons aujourd'hui (150 millions euros d'aide en 2012) mais l'enjeu essentiel, c'est d'avoir les deux milliards", a-t-il dit, rappelant que "la France est mobilisée par tous les canaux bilatéraux et multilatéraux" et que "20% de l'aide européenne, c'est de l'argent français".

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May 13, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and Lois Brown, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation, today announced that Canada will provide additional support to help Mali restore democracy, regain stability and retain its territorial integrity.

“Canada is committed to combatting terrorism in all its forms,” said Baird. “In Mali, that means working with our regional and international partners to ensure that country does not become a safe haven for jihadists and extremists, and helping it restore the democratic order that was once a model for Africa.”

Baird is currently visiting nearby Ghana. Ghana has been a regional leader in attempts to end the Malian crisis and keep that country from undermining stability in the broader Sahel region. “Efforts such as these help make Mali more secure, make Africa more secure and ultimately make Canada more secure,” added Baird.

Canada is committing an additional $10 million to, among other things, support the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) until a new United Nations mission can be set up. Canada will also contribute to a UN-administered trust fund to help Mali restore democratic institutions in advance of planned elections in July and preserve Mali’s territorial integrity. Further, Canada will contribute to European Union-led training to help the Malian armed forces protect the basic rights of Malian civilians.

“As a leading donor, Canada will continue to deliver support for food and basic health services to Malians,” said Parliamentary Secretary Brown, who will attend a high-level meeting on Mali in Brussels on Wednesday on behalf of the Honourable Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation. “Canada is a compassionate neighbour and will continue to work with other donors, Canadian non-governmental organizations and multilateral organizations such as the World Food Programme to help save lives and alleviate suffering in Mali.”

Canada also continues to provide much-needed humanitarian and development assistance through non-governmental organizations.

Canada has traditionally been a leading donor to aid projects in Mali. Canada will also contribute directly to the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) through its assessed contributions to the United Nations.

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874

Elections in Mali have been announced with a view to ending the political crisis that has beset the country since the military coup last year. Norway will provide NOK 40 million in funding to support the election process and the transition to legitimate governance.

“The people of northern Mali have been brutally suppressed by extremist groups. It is now essential that an effective government that enjoys the broad support of the people is put in place. The elections in July must also lay the foundation for reconciliation,” commented Minister of International Development Heikki Eidsvoll Holmås.

Mr Holmås will participate in the international donor conference on Mali to be held in Brussels tomorrow. France and the EU are hosting the conference, in close cooperation with the transitional authorities of Mali. The purpose of the conference is to mobilise funding for Mali and to support the political process of transition.

“Tomorrow an international concerted effort to get Mali back on its feet begins in Brussels. The country has a huge need for assistance in its process of reconstruction after the war. Schools and hospitals need to be built, and teachers and nurses need to return to work and be paid. The legal system needs to protect the people of Mali and ensure respect for human rights,” Mr Holmås said.

Norway’s contribution of NOK 40 million will be channelled to an election fund managed by the UN. In addition, NOK 1 million is being allocated to UNESCO’s efforts to preserve the manuscript collections in Timbuktu, which are valuable cultural heritage. Norway and other donor countries will gradually resume their development cooperation with the Malian authorities. Following the military coup in March last year, development assistance to the country was frozen. In the first instance, two food security programmes in areas particularly vulnerable to drought will be resumed. Other aid to Mali, channelled through civil society, has not been stopped.

“The crisis in Mali is symptomatic of the many challenges facing the Sahel region. Norway will intensify its efforts to promote security, stability and development in other parts of the Sahel. We will cooperate with other countries, donors and international organisations,” Mr Holmås said.

Norway has so far provided NOK 104 million in humanitarian assistance to the Sahel region.

Press contact: Mr. Svein Baera, phone +47 916 72 042

05/14/2013 15:37 GMT

by Jerome Rivet

BRUSSELS, May 14, 2013 (AFP) - Mali's president pledged Tuesday that July elections, a key goal of the troubled country's backers, will go ahead as he prepared for a donors conference meant to help Bamako move on from war and a two-year political crisis.

"We will do everything so that the elections can begin on July 28," Traore said in Brussels, adding: "Failure to hold the elections would cause even more problems."

The president said neither he nor his ministers would stand in the polls, seen as essential to restoring democratic rule after a military coup in 2012 paved the way for Islamist rebels to seize control of the north.

France, Mali's former colonial power, sent in troops in January to fight the Al-Qaeda-linked rebels who were then advancing on the capital Bamako, pushing them back.

Wednesday's conference will be attended by French President Francois Hollande, Traore, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and heads of state from several west African countries, with some 100 delegations in all.

"The aim is to find nearly 1.9 billion euros ($2.4 billion)," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said earlier Tuesday.

"Security is largely in place... now the need is for democracy, dialogue and development, and these go together. And for that, we need money," Fabius told RTL Radio.

Barroso announced Tuesday after meeting Traore that the EU would contribute 520 million euros while diplomatic sources said France would offer some 280 million euros.

The French-led offensive has pushed the Islamists out of the main cities and into desert and mountain hideouts from where they are staging guerrilla attacks.

France, in the process of withdrawing its troops, insists the war is drawing to a close.

"We are in the process of winning the war, now we must find peace," Fabius said. "For that, we need economic development."

The international community hopes the July elections will produce an effective government but Mali's national electoral commission has said it will be difficult to hold polls so soon.

The impoverished country is badly in need of help to repair the damage caused by the war and to offer some hope of bringing together its disparate political groups.

The funds targeted at the conference will cover about 45 percent of the costs of a reconstruction plan drawn up for this year and next by Bamako.

"Mali really needs the money to re-establish basic services such as water, electricity, health and administration, especially in the northern areas," one EU official said.

EU officials say the war has resulted in some 500,000 refugees, with three quarters of them displaced to the southern part of the country.

Some two million people have no secure food supply while 600,000 children are threatened by malnutrition, with conditions on the ground difficult for providing aid.

Besides humanitarian aid, the EU is training Mali's ramshackle armed forces to bring them up to standard on both their military role and responsibilities to civil society.

EU sources stressed the need for progress in reforming the army and bolstering the country's democratic credentials, with July's planned elections essential.

The process is "about political reconstruction as much as economic reconstruction," one source said.

The new government will have to lead Mali out of a crisis that has crippled the country since Tuareg rebels launched a rebellion in January 2012 for independence of the north.

They overwhelmed government troops, leading to the military coup in Bamako which opened the way for hardline Islamists to chase out their former Tuareg allies and seize key northern cities before moving on the south.

France meanwhile has begun withdrawing its 4,500 troops deployed in Mali and handing over the reins to a 6,300-strong force, the International Mission for Support to Mali (MISMA).

Paris has said about 1,000 soldiers will remain in Mali beyond this year to back up a UN force that is to replace MISMA.

This UN force of 12,600 peacekeepers, to be responsible for stabilising the north, will be phased in gradually from July.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

NIAMEY — Niger is offering cash rewards to anyone reporting a case of Guinea worm as part of efforts to permanently eradicate the parasitic disease in the impoverished West African nation, the health ministry said.

Though it once afflicted around 3.5 million people annually across Asia and Africa, according to the U.S.-based Carter Center, Guinea worm disease is now on the verge of being eradicated worldwide.

Niger had been due to join the list of countries free from the disease last year before an influx of some 60,000 refugees fleeing fighting in neighboring Mali where the parasite is present.

Anyone reporting a case of Guinea worm, confirmed as such by health authorities, would be offered a reward of 20,000 CFA francs ($39.58).

"A reward of 40,000 CFA francs ($79.17) will be offered to anyone sick with Guinea worm who declares themselves to health workers within 24 hours of the worm's emergence," the health ministry said in a statement late on Monday.

Landlocked and largely desert, uranium-producing Niger is the world's least developed country according to the United Nation's Human Development Index's ranking of 185 nations.

Guinea worm disease, or dracunculiasis, is transmitted through contaminated water and causes painful skin lesions incapacitating victims and making them unable to work or attend school.

South Sudan accounted for 521, or around 96 percent, of the world's remaining cases of the disease last year, though a small number of cases were also reported in Ethiopia, Chad and Mali.

05/14/2013 18:09 GMT

OUAGADOUGOU, 14 mai 2013 (AFP) - Le président burkinabè Blaise Compaoré, médiateur dans la crise malienne, a indiqué mardi vouloir "poursuivre le dialogue" avec les groupes armés du nord du Mali, dont la rébellion du MNLA, qui refusent à l'armée malienne l'accès à la ville de Kidal.

"Sur la base des acquis de décembre passé, nous envisageons de poursuivre le dialogue avec ces mouvements armés du Nord-Mali pour consolider ces acquis de décembre mais surtout ouvrir la voie de perspectives plus heureuses pour ces élections" prévues en juillet dans le pays, a-t-il indiqué, comme on lui demandait s'il allait oeuvrer au départ de Kidal des groupes armés MNLA et MIA.

Fin 2012, M. Compaoré, médiateur pour le compte de la Communauté économique des Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest (Cédéao), avait engagé des discussions avec notamment le Mouvement national de libération de l'Azawad (MNLA), rébellion touareg laïque, qui s'était engagée à respecter l'unité du Mali.

Le MNLA contrôle Kidal, une grande ville du Nord malien, avec le Mouvement islamique de l'Azawad (MIA), dissident d'Ansar Dine. Le mouvement islamiste armé Ansar Dine avait aussi participé aux discussions de Ouagadougou.

Le MNLA et le MIA refusent la présence de l'armée et de l'Etat maliens à Kidal, où sont présents des militaires français à la suite de l'intervention française qui a chassé les jihadistes des grandes villes de la région depuis janvier.

Reçu le 10 mai par le président burkinabè, le ministre malien des Affaires étrangères Tiéman Coulibaly avait saisi le médiateur de la situation à Kidal.

M. Compaoré, qui a quitté mardi Ouagadougou pour participer mercredi à Bruxelles à une réunion de donateurs sur le Mali, a auparavant estimé que "les choses évoluaient dans le bon sens" dans ce pays. "Il reste pour les politiques (à) faire en sorte que nous puissions assurer cette intégrité territoriale pour permettre que ces élections se fassent de façon normale", a-t-il souligné.

Le président malien de transition, Dioncounda Traoré, a assuré mardi à Bruxelles qu'il "ferait tout" pour que l'élection présidentielle, réclamée par la communauté internationale, débute le 28 juillet.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

14-05-2013 Point sur les activités

Le nord du Mali vit un conflit armé qui dure depuis bientôt 16 mois. Les communautés, durement touchées, ont de nombreux besoins, et leur accès à l'eau notamment reste précaire.

Depuis avril 2012, le carburant nécessaire au fonctionnement des centrales électriques des villes de Gao, Tombouctou et Kidal est fourni par le CICR, qui maintient ainsi un approvisionnement partiel en eau potable pour les habitants de ces importants centres urbains.

À ce jour, le CICR a fourni plus de 1 500 000 litres de carburant pour faire tourner ces centrales. Il a également contribué à l'entretien des infrastructures existantes, les produits d’entretien et les pièces détachées étant, pour la majeure partie, fournis par Énergie du Mali (EDM).

« L’approvisionnement en eau et en électricité reste toujours critique dans le nord du Mali. À Kidal, un seul des sept générateurs existants fonctionne encore. À Gao, c'est trois sur sept, et à Tombouctou, deux sur quatre qui sont en état de marche, explique Abdoule-Karim Diomande, délégué du CICR en charge du programme eau et habitat au Mali. Dans cette situation, il est impossible d’envisager un approvisionnement continu en eau et en électricité dans ces villes. Il est urgent que les entreprises publiques qui doivent assurer ces services redeviennent opérationnelles. »

Après le début de la crise dans le nord du Mali en 2012 et le départ de l'administration publique qui s'en est suivi, une partie du personnel qui assurait le bon fonctionnement des installations électriques et hydrauliques n'a plus été en mesure de faire son travail. La population s'est trouvée privée d'électricité et d'eau potable pendant des semaines.

Le CICR est alors intervenu, assurant un ravitaillement continu des centrales électriques en carburant. L'approvisionnement de la population en eau potable a ainsi été rétabli, ce qui a permis d'éviter les problèmes de santé publique qui auraient pu se produire. La population a également pu bénéficier de quelques heures d'électricité par jour et les petites entreprises ont pu continuer à fonctionner, contribuant ainsi à la survie d'une économie locale fragilisée.

Avec le soutien du CICR, des organisations de la société civile des villes de Tombouctou et de Gao ont mis en place un système de recouvrement partiel des coûts de fonctionnement des générateurs. Bien que symboliques, ces contributions ont mis en évidence la volonté de la population de ne pas être simplement assistée. Les sommes collectées ont permis d'acheter du carburant lorsque les livraisons du CICR ne pouvaient se produire à temps, pour des raisons de sécurité ou de difficulté d’accès.

Des dispositions particulières ont par ailleurs été prises pour assurer l’autonomie de l’hôpital régional de Gao en électricité. Grâce à un générateur récemment installé par le CICR et à une livraison quotidienne de 100 litres de carburant, l'hôpital peut continuer de fonctionner 24 heures sur 24 et dispenser les soins dont la population a besoin.

« Si les derniers générateurs qui fonctionnent encore dans ces villes venaient à tomber en panne, la population serait entièrement privée d’eau potable et d’électricité, ce qui ne manquerait pas d'entraîner toutes les conséquences que vous pouvez imaginer, précise M. Diomande. Dans les trois villes, la situation est telle qu'une remise en état ou un renouvellement du parc de générateurs s'impose. »

Avec le retour progressif de l'administration dans le nord du Mali, le CICR a commencé à discuter avec les autorités compétentes des moyens à mettre en œuvre pour que l'approvisionnement soit à nouveau pleinement assuré par les entreprises publiques en charge. Les spécialistes du CICR ont ainsi des rencontres régulières avec les autorités compétentes et leur transmettent toutes les informations nécessaires pour que le transfert de responsabilité se fasse dans les meilleures conditions.

Informations complémentaires :
Valery Mbaoh Nana, CICR Bamako et Niamey, tél. : +223 76 99 63 75 ou +227 97 45 43 82
Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, CICR Genève, tél. : +41 22 730 31 49 ou +41 79 244 64 05

Mali Donor Conference, Brussels - 15 May

A donor conference on Mali is being hosted by the EU and the French Government in Brussels to discuss how to help rebuild the country after months of conflict and regional instability. It will focus on resuming development aid (following the freeze imposed as a result of the coup in March last year), supporting the plan for Mali 2013-14, and securing funds for that purpose.

Justine Greening, International Development Secretary, and Stephen O’Brien, the UK’s Special Representative for the Sahel, will represent the UK. The French President and Mali’s Interim President will also be attending, along with other regional leaders.

Laura Taylor, Tearfund’s Head of Public Policy, said:

'This conference must make sure aid is resumed to reach the people of Mali who critically need it. Funding long-term development has a crucial part to play in building better resilience for vulnerable communities in Mali and the surrounding region. It’s essential for development, peace and security both in Mali and across the Sahel.

'Work is needed to return people to their homes and rebuild communities. There are now around 174,000 Malian refugees in neighbouring countries, with more than 300,000 people displaced internally (IDPs). Many families have fled intense conflict in the last six months.

'Children are hit hardest in this conflict. 700,000 urgently need to get back into education.

'Tearfund has helped thousands of people who, after many months, continue to rely on host families for accommodation, putting immense strain on the already limited resources of Bamako and other southern cities. We call on Justine Greening and Stephen O’Brien to ask the conference to resume aid urgently and without delay, for the sake of the people of Mali.'

By David Tereshchuk *

May 14, 2013—As Somalia struggles to meet the daunting task of recovering from decades of raging civil strife and no effective government—not to mention the recurring blows of drought and famine—few challenges are greater than that of education.

More than 72 percent of the country’s adults are illiterate, and formal basic primary-school education for children is only sparsely available. In fact, in most rural areas it is nonexistent. Among the small number of children who do enroll in school there is a high dropout rate because parents often cannot afford to pay school fees. It is a struggle for families to afford both learning materials for their youngsters and food for the whole family.

UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, has partnered with Turkey-based International Blue Crescent (IBC) and is supporting IBC’s mass mobilization campaigns in Somalia. The campaigns are designed to sustain basic education provisions, especially for the most deprived populations—notably the country’s many uprooted families who are classed as internally displaced persons, or IDPs—and to develop new local efforts that will pave the way for a much fuller education service for all in the future.

The IDP camps of Jamacadaha and Korsan, on the outskirts of the capital city, Mogadishu, form the focal point of this initiative. It involves the provision of what IBC calls “child-friendly spaces.” In these spaces, some 600 children are now benefiting from free primary education. The program employs 40 teachers in four schools, with base salaries assured for a period of one year. It also includes an incentive program aimed at enhancing and sustaining the schools.

With the overarching aim of preparing the camps’ younger generation to become the leaders of tomorrow, there is a dedicated effort to offer students an alternative to engaging in conflict and to direct them into rewarding academic performance that can brighten their lives.

“We are happy to support this work,” says Francesco Paganini, UMCOR’s recently appointed executive secretary of International Disaster Response. “It represents early seeding—organic growth from the ground up—for a new civil society in a nation that has been engulfed in civil strife for over two decades. Everything begins with education.”

While Somalia prepares to re-enter the international community with its newly recognized government, the people of Somalia face the daunting task of rebuilding communities that for the last 20 years have known only war and instability. The provision of primary education is a crucial component to helping Somalis rebuild their lives and their country.

The IBC program includes practical steps to achieve these aims, including mobilizing the camps’ communities and sensitizing religious and political leaders with regard to girls’ school enrollment as well as that of boys; serving free school meals to further encourage students to attend class; providing basic essentials of the classroom, such as desks, blackboards, and textbooks; and ensuring that the schools’ water and sanitation needs are fully met.

One of the teachers in Korsan is teenager Nasteha Farax. Explaining the community-integrated mission on which the education initiative is based, she says, “These children are the leaders of tomorrow; they need to be in school for a better future.” She adds: “As well as that, I myself also need a job.”

The long-term practicality of the project is heartening for IBC Vice President Muzaffer Baca. “We are changing hope into reality,” he says.

A gift from you will help children and their families in the IDP camps of Somalia and elsewhere in the Horn of Africa. Please give to International Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #982450 and earmark your check: “Horn of Africa Crisis.”

05/14/2013 20:00 GMT

ABIDJAN, 14 mai 2013 (AFP) - L'Afrique de l'Ouest revendique le commandement de la future mission de l'ONU au Mali, qui doit remplacer la force africaine déployée après l'intervention française contre les jihadistes qui occupaient le nord du pays, a-t-on appris mardi de source officielle.

La Mission intégrée des Nations unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (Minusma), censée prendre en juillet le relais de la force panafricaine (Misma), "devrait être commandée par un Ouest-Africain en reconnaissance des bons résultats de la région", selon un communiqué de la Communauté économique des Etats d'Afrique de l'Ouest (Cédéao) transmis à l'AFP à Abidjan.

Créée fin avril par l'ONU, la Minusma comptera 12.600 Casques bleus, qui devraient intégrer les quelque 6.000 hommes de la Misma, envoyés par des pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest et le Tchad.

"Les forces armées de la région se sont acquittées honorablement de leur mission dans plusieurs crises dans la région et remporteront le même succès avec la Minusma", poursuit le communiqué, présentant les conclusions d'une réunion de sept chefs d'état-major de la Cédéao qui s'est tenue samedi à Abidjan. La Côte d'Ivoire préside actuellement la Cédéao.

Ces chefs militaires ont donc appelé "la Commission de la Cédéao à poursuivre les discussions en cours avec l'Union africaine et l'ONU" sur le futur commandement de la force.

Le Tchad, qui a été en première ligne aux côtés des militaires français dans les combats contre les islamistes armés du nord du Mali, est parfois présenté comme un candidat sérieux au commandement de la mission onusienne. Ce pays d'Afrique centrale n'appartient pas à la Cédéao.

A quelques exceptions, les armées ouest-africaines ont souvent été jugées lentes à se déployer et peu aptes aux contacts directs avec les jihadistes.

Les contingents des pays de la Cédéao envoyés au Mali constituent une "force totalement incapable" qui "n'a pas été à la hauteur", avait même estimé en avril un haut responsable du Pentagone. Mais Paris avait salué leur engagement.

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© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

“Purchase from Africans for Africa”, or PAA Africa, is an innovative programme recently launched in Senegal based on Brazil’s experience with its “Food Purchase Programme (PAA)”. The goal of PAA Africa is two-pronged: to increase access to food and support small-holder farms.

Dakar – PAA Africa is a relatively new programme that supports food purchases from smallholder farmers and focuses on the participatory and social aspects to improve food security and nutrition.

The first PAA Africa workshop was recently held in Dakar and included participants from the various actors involved – WFP, FAO, UK Department of International Development, Brazilian experts and Senegalese Government officials, including the Prime Minister of Senegal Abdoul Mbaye.

"The PAA Africa Programme is a joint initiative to promote food and nutrition security and at the same time generate income for farmers and vulnerable communities,” said Brazilian Ambassador to Senegal Maria da Elisa Luna.

The workshop identified strengths and possibilities for improvement of ongoing pilot projects in Senegal.

"In Brazil, President Lula designed the ‘Zero Hunger’ strategy, a set of coordinated projects with the PAA-Brazil. In Senegal, President Macky Sall, similarly realized the magnitude and urgency of the food crisis in rural areas and proposed to the Senegalese people the ‘Yoonu Yokkute’ programme to free rural areas from chronic food insecurity and poverty," said Prime Minister of Senegal Abdoul Mbaye during his opening remarks.

The pilot project of PAA Africa is taking place in Kédougou, southeast Senegal, and is funded by the Brazilian Government. Under the project, WFP purchases rice from smallholder farmers to be used in school canteens. In Kédougou, roughly 1,000 vulnerable households and 115 school canteens are currently benefiting from the programme. PAA Africa aims to integrate agricultural activities into education as a means to promote local agriculture.

“The PAA Africa represents a powerful economic lever to boost local agricultural production and ensure good coverage of food needs of rural communities,” said WFP Senegal Country Director Inge Breuer. “WFP and FAO have been working together on PAA Africa since 2010. We are now creating a strong synergy and enhancing the impact of our actions on people vulnerable. FAO provides technical expertise in the area of productive capacity through training and the supply of inputs, while WFP contributes through its experience in the field with a similar program, Purchase for Progress.”

The 12,800-strong UN stabilization force which is to replace the African-led Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) should be commanded by a West African, in recognition of the region's track record, a sub-committee of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff (CCDS) has proposed.

The estimated 6,000 AFISMA force is scheduled to transform into the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) by July 2013 under the UN Security Council Resolution 2100 of 25th April 2013.

After a two-day meeting in Abidjan on the modalities for the transformation, the seven-member CCDS sub-committee noted that the region’s armed forces have discharged themselves creditably in various crises in the region and will repeat the same success with AFISMA/MINUSMA.

It therefore urged the ECOWAS Commission to continue on-going discussions with the African Union and the UN on the selection of the command of the force for which the UN is believed to have approached 11 countries to nominate candidates to head the force, including from outside the region.

The sub-committee also agreed to send a delegation on behalf of the CCDS to commiserate with the President and the armed forces of Niger over the death of the country’s Deputy Force Commander of AFISMA, Brigadier General Yaye Garba, who passed on Saturday, 11th May 2013.

The dispatch of the delegation is important in the "spirit of regional solidarity and because we have become the same family now," said General Soumaila Bakayoko, chair of the CCDS.

He said the death should not dampen the resolve of the regional forced forces and region, but “strengthen us in our determination to ensure that AFISMA achieved its mandate.”

The sub-committee also proposed that the next ordinary session of the CCDS be held in Accra, Ghana for two days from 28th June 2013, a day after the Command Post-Exercise of the ECOWAS Standby Force to be hosted at the Kofi Annan Centre for Peacekeeping, also the Ghanaian capital.

In closing the meeting, General Bakayoko praised his colleagues for the quality of their deliberations which he said had contributed to concrete recommendations on the transformation of AFISMA and the deployment of regional troops in Guinea Bissau.

He expressed optimism that the outcome of the meeting would contribute to the effective transformation of AFISMA, the restoration of normality to Mali and the restoration of peace and stability to Guinea Bissau where some 670 regional troops were deployed last year, to assist with defence and security sector reform.

Members of the CCDS sub-committee are drawn from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire which chairs the committee.

In northern Mali, which has been experiencing armed conflict for nearly 16 months, hard-hit communities need better access to water. Since April 2012 the ICRC has been providing fuel to produce the electricity required to distribute much of the drinking water in three major cities.

To date, the ICRC has provided more than 1.5 million litres of fuel to keep power stations running in Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal. It has also helped with the maintenance of infrastructure, while most spare parts and products used in maintenance have been provided by Mali's national energy company.

"The supply of water and electricity remains critical in the north of Mali. In Kidal, only one of seven generators is still functioning. In Gao, three of seven generators, and in Timbuktu two of four are in working order," said Abdoule-Karim Diomande, in charge of the ICRC's water and habitat programme in the country. "In these circumstances, there cannot possibly be a constant supply of water and electricity available in those cities. It is urgent that the public utilities that normally provide these services resume their activities."

After the outbreak of crisis in the north of the country in 2012 and the subsequent departure of civil servants, some of the personnel who had been keeping the electrical power and hydraulic facilities in proper working order found themselves unable to perform their tasks. As a result, people had no electricity or clean drinking water for weeks.

The ICRC then took action by continuously supplying the power stations with fuel. As a result, the supply of clean drinking water was restored and public health problems that might have arisen were averted. In addition, the availability of electricity for a few hours each day, besides benefiting everyone, enabled small businesses to continue to operate and thereby help a weakened economy to survive.

With ICRC support, civil society organizations in Timbuktu and Gao introduced a system of partial cost recovery enabling the population to contribute to the operating expenses of the generators. The contributions, although largely symbolic, highlighted the public's determination not to simply rely on outside support. The funds collected were used to buy fuel whenever ICRC deliveries did not arrive on time, for security or other reasons.

Special arrangements were made to ensure that Gao Regional Hospital would be able to function independently of the outside power network. Owing to a recently installed ICRC generator and a daily 100-litre fuel delivery, the hospital can continue operating around the clock and provide the care that people need.

"If the last generators still up and running in those cities were to break down, people would find themselves without any drinking water or electricity – and facing all the consequences that that entails," said Mr Diomande. "In all three cities, the situation requires that the generators be upgraded or replaced."

With the gradual return of civil servants to the north of Mali, the ICRC has begun to have discussions with those concerned about measures that will enable public utilities to completely resume their activities. ICRC specialists are meeting regularly with the authorities and providing all the information needed for the transfer of responsibility to take place in the best possible conditions.

For further information, please contact:
Valery Mbaoh Nana, ICRC Bamako and Niamey, tel: +223 76 99 63 75 or +227 97 45 43 82
Wolde-Gabriel Saugeron, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 31 49 or +41 79 244 64 05

Saran Keïta Diakité is a lawyer in Mali and President of the Malian branch of the NGO Working Group on Women Peace and Security (Réseau Paix et Sécurité des Femmes de l’Espace CEDEAO). As the Donor Conference on Mali starts in Brussels, in her own words she speaks about the atrocities occurring in her country, which has been plagued by political instability and the proliferation of armed groups that have uprooted more than 415,000 people since a military coup d’état in March 2012. She also talks about the work of her NGO, supported by UN Women, to assist survivors of violence, provide access to justice, and to ensure women have a say in peace negotiations. She was one of four female mediators who took part in peace negotiations from 15-17 April 2012 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Saran also recently spoke in April 2013 at the UN Security Council’s Open Debate on conflict-related sexual violence in New York.

“It is true that there was genocide in Rwanda and there have been cases of rape in Congo, but what happened in Mali is unprecedented. At the outbreak of the crisis, UN Women commissioned a study in the regions of Gao, Menaka and Ansongo, in April and May 2012 and in September 2012. The outcomes of that study revealed over 100 cases of rape, both individual and gang rape. When these women talk about what happened, it’s appalling. The victims’ ages range from 9 to 70. Imagine the horrors that these survivors have endured.

Throughout the occupied regions, girls are forced into marriage. When an Islamist marries you, you can be sure that, at night, you will be visited by at least four or five people, and that every night, you’ll receive a visit from a different man, a “new husband”. One girl told me: “it was by the smell that I knew that it was a different man coming to me every time. Every time, I was aware of a different smell than the last time.”

The Islamists perform religious marriages in order to escape the clutches of international criminal justice. They carry out a form of “marriage” so that, at night, you can be treated as a sexual slave. During the day, you are there to serve tea to the men and attend to their every need. This is why I always say that what’s happened in Mali is unprecedented.

It’s true to say that rape is being used as a weapon of war.

Imagine, in Gao, armed men bursting in on a family. The husband is there. They seize his wife, rape his wife and his daughter. I warn you, what I’m going to say is hard but they force him to rape his daughter. It’s dreadful. When you do that to a man, it takes away his humanity. Even if he wants to resist, he can’t. It’s to be expected, it’s human.

Anyone who turns a woman’s body into a trophy of war, he’s already won the battle. He doesn’t need any other weapons. He’s already won.

UN Women

In response to this crisis, UN Women is working in partnership with the Government[i] and civil society organizations in the regions of Timbuktu, Kidal, Gao, Mopti, Ségou, Koulikoro and Kayes. They are implementing an aid programme for women and girls affected by the conflict, and ensuring women’s participation in the process of consolidating peace. This programme provides a multi-form response, specifically: women’s participation in conflict resolution and the return to peace; access to information and care services to deal with gender-based violence; psychosocial and medical assistance, including consultations and medication costs; as well as economic empowerment of displaced women and girls, and increased representation of women on official post-transition bodies. UN Women has supported the Association of Malian Women Lawyers (AJM) in implementing a prevention project and care services for women and girls who are victims of the conflict in Mali. Units providing integrated care services have been established in Bamako, Mopti and Kati for communities that have been affected psychologically. The purpose is for women and girls in particular, who are the victims of these atrocities, to be able to go to these care units. Psychologists, lawyers and doctors are also there, available for consultation.

UN Women has helped women to obtain prescriptions, and has guided them towards health centres where they will benefit from the services of the Association of Malian Lawyers, funded by UN Women. This project has made it possible to identify numerous cases of rape, individual and gang rape. A special fund has been established to provide legal services to the victims on a voluntary basis.

Getting compensation for injury suffered is extremely difficult when it is necessary to operate on a case-by-case basis. Dealing with lawyers who are unsympathetic can mean that claiming damages gets compared to a form of prostitution on the part of the person who has been raped, even though it is not prostitution.

When a girl is raped, she is rejected by society. She does not get a husband. And when a husband finds out that his wife has been raped, she is immediately rejected. So, all this means that for a woman who has been raped, if she has to go and make a claim for compensation for hardships caused by rape, the comparison can be made with prostitution: taking money because you’ve been raped. That makes matters even worse.

But, there needs to be collective compensation. By awarding compensation collectively, no one knows who has received what, who has been given what. But the victims of these rapes, they will know what has happened and that will stay between them. In our society, it’s better that way.

When you know how slow and complicated the whole legal process is, both national and international, when the intention is to have all of these cases tried in judicial institutions, there’s a risk that it could take many years. It takes a long time and, meanwhile, the victims are waiting and not receiving compensation. But we can start with transitional justice, summoning those responsible for these crimes so that they can understand what they have done wrong, so that they can apologize and offer compensation immediately, so that people can learn to co-exist again.

It is absolutely essential that we talk about these rape cases. During my recent intervention at the Security Council, I asked for a compensation fund for these rape victims and for that fund to be made available to civil society organizations, and for the women involved to be able to talk about these cases, so that they can receive proper support.

The need to include women in peace negotiations

We took part in the Mali crisis negotiations that were held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in April 2012. Our participation was facilitated very swiftly by UN Women. During that time, I can assure you most sincerely, our voices were clearly heard. All the concerns that we raised were taken into account in the resolution, in the final Ouagadougou Declaration. However, that mediation meeting was the first time for me. If you want to negotiate, you have to include everyone. You cannot undertake negotiations and leave out over half the population.

Women are the key to peace. Women understand the value of life. Women love life. Women give life. Women save lives. And it’s women who are prepared to give their lives so that our lives can be born of theirs. Therefore, it’s women who can talk about negotiating. It is women who know how to negotiate. Negotiating is what defines women. Conducting negotiations without women spells failure. It is not possible to negotiate without women.

We know that in armed conflicts, it’s women who pay the highest price. Women do not ask for war. Women do not make war. Yet women are the principal victims of war: women and their children, women and their spouses, women and their siblings. With every death, it’s the parents, sibling, child or husband of a woman. So women are at the heart of the matter.

Their active involvement is absolutely obligatory, and I mean active. In all the phases of crisis management, women must be involved. A crisis managed without women is going to fail. We have had crises, there have been humiliations. Women were not at the negotiating table. Look what happened as a result.

We have a Network action plan that UN Women supports. We undertake various activities: training, mediation, negotiation and advocacy activities so that women can understand their rights during this conflict period. We also have activities to disseminate information on Security Council Resolutions 1325, 1820 and 1889. This is so that women can understand that all of these instruments are available to them, so that women can understand the situation that they are experiencing today.

Perhaps they do not understand their rights. But there are specific rights, rights that are there during periods of conflict, and that are there for these women.”

Related links:

• Women peace advocates put forth key recommendations for Sahel region

• Malian armed and security forces gear up to better protect women and children in conflict situations

• Malian women make their voices heard: emergency aid, participation in the peace process, and justice for all

• Helping rape survivors in Mali to speak up

• Women of Mali call for increased protection and involvement in resolving the conflict

• Q&A with Saran Keïta Diakité and Traoré Oumou Touré from Mali on their participation in Mali’s peace negotiations

• Webcast of the UN Security Council’s Open Debate on conflict-related sexual violence on 17 April 2013 (Saran’s intervention begins at 32:00)

• Report of the Secretary-General on sexual violence in conflict (S/2013/149)

[i] Ministry for the Family, the Promotion of Women, and Children; Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces and Security; the ministry responsible for decentralization; Ministry of Justice; and Ministry for Social Development and Humanitarian Action.

Saran Keïta Diakité est avocate malienne et présidente du Réseau paix et Sécurité des Femmes de l’espace de la Communauté des États d’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO) section du Mali. A l’occasion de la Conférence internationale de haut niveau pour le soutien et le développement du Mali, elle nous parle dans ses propres mots sur les atrocités qui se produisent dans son pays, qui a été en proie à l’instabilité politique et la prolifération des groupes armés qui ont déraciné plus de 415.000 personnes depuis un coup d’état militaire en Mars 2012. Elle parle aussi du travail de son ONG, soutenu par ONU Femmes, pour aider les survivantes de violence, offrir l’accès à la justice et à s’assurer que les femmes ont leur mot à dire dans les négociations de paix. Elle était l’une des quatre médiateurs femmes qui ont participées aux négociations de paix du 15-17 Avril 2012, à Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Saran a récemment pris la parole en Avril lors du débat ouvert du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU sur la violence sexuelle liée aux conflits, à New York.

« C’est vrai qu’il y a eu un génocide au Rwanda, il y a eu des cas de viols au Congo, mais ce qui s’est passé au Mali est inédit. Les résultats d’une étude commanditée par ONU Femmes les premières heures de la crise dans les régions de Gao, Menaka et Ansongo au mois d’Avril et Mai 2012 et en Septembre 2012, font état de plus d’une centaine de cas de viols individuels ou collectifs. Quand ces dames parlent de ce qui s’est passé, c’est abominable. L’âge des victimes varie de 9 ans à 70 ans. Imaginez-vous l’horreur que ces survivantes ont vécues.

Partout dans ces régions occupées, des filles sont mariées de force et quand un islamiste te marie, la nuit rassure-toi que tu as la visite d’au moins quatre ou cinq personnes et toutes les nuits tu as la visite d’un nouvel homme, d’un « nouveau mari ». Une fille m’a dit, « c’est par l’odeur que j’ai compris que chaque fois c’était un nouvel homme qui venait vers moi. Je sentais chaque fois une nouvelle odeur que je n’avais pas sentie la dernière fois. »

Les islamistes font des mariages religieux pour échapper des filets de la juridiction pénale internationale. Ils mettent la forme de ‘mariage’, donc la nuit tu fais l’esclave sexuel, le jour tu es là pour faire le thé pour les hommes, pour faire leurs petits souhaits. Donc c’est ce que j’ai l’habitude de dire, ce qui s’est passé au Mali est inédit.

Dire qu’on utilise le viol comme arme de guerre, c’est exact.

Imaginez à Gao, des hommes armés sont rentrés dans une famille. Le mari était là, ils prennent sa femme, violent sa femme ainsi que sa fille ; tenez-vous bien ils l’obligent à violer sa fille. C’est horrible! Quand tu fais ça à un homme, il ne peut plus être quelqu’un. Même s’il veut réagir, il ne peut pas. Ça c’est naturel, c’est humain.

Quelqu’un qui fait du corps de la femme un trophée de guerre, il a gagné d’avance le combat. Il n’a pas besoin de prendre une autre arme, il gagne à l’avance.

ONU Femmes

En réponse à cette crise, ONU Femmes en partenariat avec le Gouvernement et les organisations de la société civile dans les régions de Tombouctou, Kidal, Gao, Mopti, Ségou, Koulikoro, et Kayes assurent la mise en œuvre d’un Programme d’assistance aux femmes et filles affectées par la situation de confit et participation des femmes au processus de consolidation de la paix. Ce programme vise à apporter une réponse multiforme, à savoir la participation de la femme à la résolution du conflit et le retour à la paix, l’accès à l’information et aux services de prise en charge des violences basées sur le Genre, l’assistance psychosociale et médicale (consultation et frais des médicaments), ainsi que le renforcement économique aux femmes et filles déplacées, et la représentativité accrue des femmes dans les organes post-transition. ONU Femmes a appuyé l’Association des Juristes Maliennes (AJM) pour la mise en œuvre d’un projet de prévention et de prise en charge des femmes et filles victimes du conflit au Mali. Des unités de prise en charge holistique furent mis en place à Bamako, Mopti et Kati, afin que les communautés, notamment les femmes et filles victimes de ces atrocités, qui sont atteintes psychologiquement puissent aller dans ces unités de prise en charge. Et les psychologues, les juristes et médecins pour la référence sont là, à leur disposition.

ONU Femmes a aidé les femmes à avoir accès à leurs ordonnances et les a dirigé vers des centres de santé où elles vont être prises en charge par l’association de juristes maliens, financé par ONU Femmes. Ce projet a permis d’identifier plusieurs cas de viols individuels ou collectifs et un fonds spécial est mis à disposition pour assurer la prise en charge juridique de ces victimes sur la base d’un volontariat.

La réparation d’un préjudice est très difficile quand on doit prendre au cas par cas, parce-que quand on a en face de soi un avocat qui n’est pas bien intentionné, le fait de demander des dédommages d’intérêts peut être assimilé à une sorte de prostitution de la part de la personne qui a été violée, alors que ça n’est pas de la prostitution.

Quand une fille est violée, elle est rejetée de la société, elle n’as pas de mari. Et quand son mari comprend que sa femme est violée, elle est tout de suite rejetée. Donc, avec tout ça, une femme violée, s’il faut qu’elle vienne demander la réparation du préjudice à cause du viol, on peut assimiler ça à de la prostitution : prendre de l’argent parce qu’on t’a violée. Alors ça doit faire encore plus mal. Mais j’ai dit qu’il faut faire des dédommagements collectifs. En faisant des dédommagements collectifs on ne saura pas qui a eu quoi, ce qui a été donné à qui, mais les victimes de ces viols, elles vont comprendre ce que c’est passer et ça va rester entre elles. Et ça passe mieux dans notre société.

Quand on sait la lourdeur et la lenteur de la machine judiciaire, aussi bien nationale qu’internationale, quand on va se mettre à faire juger tous ces cas par les juridictions institutionnelles, ça risque de prendre trop d’années, ça risque d’être long et entre temps, des victimes sont là et ne sont pas dédommagées. Mais on peut commencer par la justice de transition, faire venir les coupables pour qu’ils puissent reconnaitre leurs torts, pour qu’ils puissent présenter des excuses et faire un dédommagement à la suite de tout ça pour que les gens puissent apprendre à revivre ensemble.

On doit obligatoirement parler de ces cas de viols. Durant mon intervention récente au Conseil de sécurité, j’ai demandé un fonds d’indemnisation pour ces victimes de viol, et que ce fonds puisse être mis à la disposition des organisations de la société civile et pour que les femmes qui sont là puissent parler de ces cas, pour qu’elles puissent avoir un soutien conséquent.

La nécessité d’inclure les femmes dans les négociations pour la paix

Lors de notre participation dans les négociations de la crise du Mali, qui ont eu lieu en Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso en avril de 2012 – une participation qui fut facilitée très rapidement par ONU Femmes – j’avoue très sincèrement, on nous a bien écouté, et toutes les préoccupations dont on a fait cas ont été prises en compte dans la résolution, dans la Déclaration finale de Ouagadougou. Mais cette rencontre de médiation était la première fois pour moi. Si on veut faire une négociation, on doit faire appel à tout le monde, on ne peut pas faire des négociations et oublier plus de la moitié de la population.

Vous savez, la femme est au cœur de la paix. C’est la femme qui connait la valeur de la vie. C’est la femme qui aime la vie. C’est la femme qui donne la vie. C’est la femme qui sauve la vie. Et c’est la femme qui est prête à donner sa vie, pour que notre vie puisse naitre de sa vie. Donc c’est la femme qui peut parler des négociations, c’est la femme qui sait faire la négociation. La négociation est, c’est comme l’essence de la femme. Pouvoir aller aux négociations sans femmes ça veut dire qu’on a échoué. On ne peut pas négocier sans la femme.

On sait que les conflits armées ce sont les femmes qui paient le plus lourd tribut. Les femmes ne demandent pas à faire la guerre. Les femmes ne font pas la guerre. Mais les femmes sont les premières victimes de la guerre. Les femmes avec leurs enfants. Les femmes avec leurs époux. Les femmes avec leurs frères. Chaque fois qu’il y a perte quelque part, c’est les parents, le frère, l’enfant, le mari d’une femme. Donc la femme est au cœur de ce problème-là.

Il faut obligatoirement l’implication effective, effective j’ai dit bien, et à toutes les phases de gestion d’une crise, il faut l’implication de la femme. Une crise gérée sans femme, ça va à l’échec. Les crises passées chez nous, les humiliations qui ont eu lieu, les femmes n’étaient pas à la table de négociation. Voilà ce que ça a donné comme résultat.

Nous avons un plan d’action du Réseau, qu’ONU Femmes soutient. Nous avons plusieurs activités de formation, médiation, négociation, et des activités de plaidoyer pour que les femmes puissent comprendre leurs droits pendant cette période de conflit, des activités de vulgarisation des Résolutions du Conseil de sécurité 1325, 1820, 1889 … pour que les femmes puissent comprendre que tous ces instruments sont là pour elles, pour que les femmes puissent comprendre que la situation qu’elles vivent aujourd’hui, peut-être qu’elles ne comprennent pas leurs droits, mais il y a des droits spécifiques, des droits qui sont là en période de conflits qui sont là pour ces femmes-là. »

Liens connexes :

• Les femmes présentent leurs recommandations pour la paix dans la région du Sahel

• Les forces armées et de sécurité malienne renforcent leurs capacités sur la protection des femmes et des enfants en situation de conflit

• Les femmes maliennes font entendre leur voix : aide d’urgence, participation au processus de paix et justice pour tous

• Mali : Aider les rescapées de viols à s’exprimer

• Les femmes du Mali appellent à plus de protection et davantage d’implication dans la résolution du conflit

• Entretien avec Saran Keïta Diakité et Traoré Oumou Touré sur leur participation aux négociations de paix au Mali

• Webcast du Débat du Conseil de Sécurité (17 Avril 2013) (L’intervention de Saran commence à 32:00)

[i]Ministère de la famille, de la Promotion de la femme et de l’Enfant, le Ministère de la défense et des forces armées et de sécurité, le Ministère en charge de la décentralisation, le Ministère de la Justice et le Ministère du développement social et de l’action humanitaire.

Author: Maylis Labusquière

Mali is the third largest producer of gold in Africa and yet one in five Malians still live in extreme poverty. Mali’s population suffers from chronic vulnerability and has faced three food crises in the last seven years. More than 12 months of conflict, insecurity and human rights violations have further weakened communities in the north. They are now facing their second food crisis in less than two years, with experts predicting an emergency situation in the coming months if nothing is done.

This Oxfam briefing calls for a new development contract to be agreed between citizens and the Malian authorities so that the latter can be held accountable for the policies they implement. Development must be informed by the needs and interests of ordinary people, who need to be much more involved in decisions that will determine their future.

Donors have an important role to play, given the magnitude of aid they provide, starting with a commitment to continue providing aid for the next 15 years. Aid can also contribute to improving governance and transparency in Mali. Donors should evaluate the impact of their aid to Mali over the past two decades and set an example with transparent aid that does not fuel conflict but rather helps to build lasting peace.

The Donor Conference in Brussels on 15 May 2013 is an opportunity to set in motion a new development contract for Mali.

Video: Mali in crisis. The power of music.

The crisis in Mali and Oxfam's response

Le Mali a besoin d’une réponse globale aux problèmes de pauvreté et de gouvernance. Dans ce troisième pays africain producteur d’or, 1 Malien sur 5 vit dans l’extrême pauvreté. La conférence de soutien au Mali à Bruxelles, le 15 mai, donne l’occasion de lancer la dynamique d’un nouveau contrat pour le développement du Mali. Il doit en premier lieu être discuté entre les autorités maliennes et les citoyens : le développement doit se baser sur les besoins et les intérêts des populations qui doivent jouer un rôle plus central dans la construction de leur avenir. Compte tenu du poids de leur aide, les bailleurs ont aussi un rôle important à jouer avec un engagement sur les quinze prochaines années. L’aide peut contribuer à améliorer la gouvernance et la transparence des autorités maliennes. Les bailleurs doivent évaluer l’impact de leur aide au Mali depuis vingt ans et donner l'exemple en fournissant une aide transparente qui n’alimente pas le conflit, mais contribue à la construction d’une paix durable.

RÉSUMÉ

Dans le nord du Mali, l‟opération militaire franco-malienne, soutenue par les soldats de la MISMA (Mission internationale de soutien pour le Mali) contre les groupes armés se poursuit. La MISMA se transformera en mission de maintien de la paix des Nations unies (MINUSMA) au mois de juillet. Dans ce contexte, les autorités intérimaires maliennes ont annoncé l‟organisation d‟une élection présidentielle et travaillent au retour de l‟administration dans les régions du Centre et du Nord. Les bailleurs, eux, sont appelés à répondre à d‟importants besoins humanitaires, et ont annoncé, pour la plupart, reprendre leur aide au développement. La conférence de Bruxelles en soutien au Mali intervient donc à un moment critique où un éventail de principes et d‟actions doit être mis en place pour remettre le pays sur la voie du développement et de la paix.

Pauvreté et gouvernance doivent être au centre des débats : déjà avant la crise, 1 Malien sur 5 vivait dans une situation d‟extrême pauvreté sans avoir les moyens de subvenir à ses besoins alimentaires. La population souffre d‟une situation de vulnérabilité chronique : elle a connu trois crises alimentaires en l‟espace de sept ans. Douze mois de conflit, d‟insécurité et de violations des droits humains ont définitivement fragilisé les communautés du Nord. Les experts prévoient une situation d‟urgence dans les mois à venir, si rien n‟est fait. Le Mali est devenu avec la crise l‟un des cinq pays les plus pauvres au monde.

Le développement du pays ne pourra être amélioré sans une réforme de la gouvernance qui place réellement les citoyens et les contre-pouvoirs au cœur des décisions. Oxfam recommande la mise en place d‟un nouveau contrat pour le développement entre les citoyens et les autorités maliennes, qui sont responsables devant eux des politiques menées. À travers ce nouveau contrat, les autorités doivent s‟engager à mieux redistribuer les bénéfices de l‟exploitation des ressources naturelles, à être plus transparentes dans la gestion des affaires publiques et à lutter contre la corruption.

Pour soutenir ce nouveau contrat, les bailleurs doivent engager leur aide sur une période de quinze ans. C‟est le temps nécessaire pour accompagner les réformes de gouvernance, davantage que par le passé, et pour s‟attaquer aux causes profondes de la pauvreté. Les bailleurs doivent également donner l‟exemple en impliquant davantage la société civile et les communautés dans la mise en œuvre de leur aide. Ils doivent favoriser la transparence en publiant les réalisations attendues dans le cadre de leurs projets. Enfin, l‟aide doit être allouée sur la seule base des besoins des populations en évitant d‟attiser les sources de conflits ; ceci est un prérequis indispensable pour contribuer à la construction de la paix.

HIGHLIGHTS

• New study shows that over a quarter of a million people died from food insecurity and famine between late 2010 and early 2012 and underlines the need to heed early warnings.

• Seasonal rains bring relief, but localized flooding displaces 50,000 people and kills seven.

• Somalis return home from neighbouring countries albeit at slow pace. About 16,000 people have returned from Kenya in 2013.