The security situation, which had remained largely calm during the month of April, deteriorated on the 21st April with the takeover of Ber, located 53 km east of Timbuktu, by the Mouvement Arabe de l’Azawad (MAA), and this occurred two weeks after two serious security incidents in Timbuktu.
The incident in Ber further illustrates the growing tension between the Tuareg and Arab communities.
05/15/2013 08:11 GMT
BRUXELLES, 15 mai 2013 (AFP) - Une centaine de pays et d'institutions internationales se sont réunis mercredi à Bruxelles, à l'initiative de la France et de l'Union européenne, avec l'objectif de mobiliser près de deux milliards d'euros pour aider le Mali à sortir de la crise.
"Les dons seront substantiels", a annoncé le ministre français des Affaires étrangères, Laurent Fabius, à l'ouverture de la conférence "Ensemble pour le renouveau du Mali".
"Il s'agit d'aider les Maliens à construire un nouveau Mali (...) Il faut agir de front sur la sécurité, la démocratie et le développement", a-t-il ajouté.
Plusieurs chefs d'Etat participent à cette réunion, dont le Français François Hollande ou le Béninois Thomas Boni Yayi, qui a remercié "la communauté internationale pour son engagement à aider le Mali à retrouver la démocratie".
L'objectif de la conférence est de lever 1,96 milliard d'euros, une somme qui correspond à 45% du montant du Plan pour la Relance durable du Mali présenté par les autorités maliennes pour remettre en marche le pays sur deux ans (2013-1014).
L'Union européenne a annoncé mardi qu'elle allait apporter 520 millions d'euros, un "soutien essentiel pour établir un Mali stable et prospère", a déclaré José Manuel Barroso, le président de la Commission, après avoir reçu le chef de l'Etat malien Dioncounda Traoré.
M. Hollande devrait annoncer dans l'après-midi que la France, premier partenaire bilatéral, apportera 280 millions d'euros pour les deux ans, selon une source diplomatique.
Intervenant à Bruxelles, le directeur général adjoint du FMI, Min Zhu, a qualifié de "sérieux" et d'"ambitieux" le plan malien. Il a insisté sur la nécessité de faire en sorte que "l'aide soit gérée de manière efficace" et que "la lutte contre la corruption" soit une priorité.
jri/aje/de
© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse
05/15/2013 08:17 GMT
BRUSSELS, May 15, 2013 (AFP) - International donors opened a conference on Mali Wednesday aimed at raising some two billion euros ($2.6 billion), pledging to help all sides in the troubled country avoid the mistakes which led to war and political crisis.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the meeting that everyone "had to look at the causes of the crisis" and act accordingly.
Aid granted would be tied to an open and transparent Mali, with political reconciliation a key element in restoring stability to the country and to the wider Sahel region.
"Elections must take place on the date indicated" of July 28, Fabius said, stressing that this was a central condition.
Mali Foreign Minister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly said the crisis "has taught us a lot" and showed that "we need to live and work together" in Mali.
The July polls are seen as essential to restoring democratic rule to Mali 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.
Mali President Dioncounda Traore pledged Tuesday that the July elections would go ahead as planned.
Wednesday's conference is being co-hosted by the European Union and French President Francois Hollande, with some 100 delegations in all.
European Commission head Jose Manuel 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 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.
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.
bmm/hmn
© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse
Pascal Canfin, Minister Delegate for Development, announced the launch of a €30 million initiative to ensure access to health services for children in Mali and other countries in the Sahel which will be funded by a portion of the French tax on financial transactions.
This initiative will be implemented through the creation of a fund managed by the French Development Agency. The actions supported in various countries in the Sahel will aim to ensure that the children of the poorest families, who cannot afford to pay for medical consultations, can be treated. An estimated 2 million children could benefit from this scheme.
In the Sahel, one in every five children dies before his or her fifth birthday, often from illnesses that can be treated. This initiative will ensure better access to care in order to prevent, screen for, and treat major pandemics, such as malaria and HIV/AIDS, as well as improved treatment of more common conditions and acute malnutrition. This fund will help to reduce infant mortality and speed up progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Today, some 100 million people around the world fall below the poverty line every year because of health expenses. Hundreds of millions more forego medical treatment due to a lack of resources. This is typical in the Sahel countries where families must pay a major share of treatment costs. Moreover, France is one of the countries most committed to social protection issues. It notably supports the goal of universal healthcare coverage, in accordance with the principles set forth in a UN General Assembly resolution in December 2012.
This project reflects France’s determination to mobilize innovative funding for development. Following the introduction of a tax on financial transactions in July 2012, France was the first country to allocate 10% of the revenue from this tax to development policy, for access to health services, as well as drinking water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa. France also argues that a significant portion of the tax on European financial transactions - currently under negotiation – should also benefit international solidarity.
Contextual Background
Pattern in Population Change
Organized large-scale relocation from the Transit Centre will began on 24 June 2011 and ended 16 July 2011, during which time the Camp has grown rapidly.
Areas of Origin
53% of residents are from Bay, 30% are from Gedo, 13% are from Bakol, remaining are from various areas in Somalia.
Cultural Background
Sunni Muslim Majority (80%) are May May speakers from Rahanweyn clan, 12% are Mahatiri speakers from Maheren clan and the remaining are from various other Somali clans.
Main Occupations
Pastoralists (livestock herding: goats, camels, cows, sheep and donkeys)
Contextual Background
Pattern in Population Change
Organized large-scale relocation from the Transit Centre will begin on November 2011
Areas of Origin
46% are from Gedo, 35% are from Bay, 15% are from Bakol, remaining are from various other locations in Somalia.
Cultural Background
Sunni Muslim
64% are May May speakers from Rahanweyn clan, 22% are Mahatiri speakers from Maheren clan and the remaining are from various other Somali clans.
Main Occupations
Pastoralists (livestock herding: goats, camels, cows, sheep and donkeys)
Contextual Background
Pattern in Population Change
Organized large-scale relocation from the Transit Centre will begin on 05 August 2011 and will complete early September 2011, during which time Hilaweyn Camp has grown rapidly
Areas of Origin
50% are from Gedo, 31% are from Bay, 16% are from Bakol, remaining are from various other locations in Somalia.
Cultural Background
Sunni Muslim
64% are May May speakers from Rahanweyn clan, 22% are Mahatiri speakers from Maheren clan and the remaining are from various other Somali clans.
Main Occupations
Pastoralists (livestock herding: goats, camels, cows, sheep and donkeys)
Contextual Background
Pattern in Population Change
Already established camp received influx from Somalia in January 2011 and most recently in April/May 2011.
Areas of Origin
66% are from Gedo, 19% are from Bay and the rest of the population is from various other locations in Somalia.
Cultural Background
Sunni Muslim
55% are May May speakers from Rahanweyn clan, 30% are Mahatiri speakers from Maheren clan and the remaining are from various other Somali clans.
Main Occupations
Pastoralists (livestock herding: goats, camels, cows, sheep and donkeys); some professionals from Mogadishu
A year of conflict in the West African nation of Mali has brought hunger to hundreds of thousands of people. Drought and endemic poverty have also taken their toll. Here are 8 things to know about hunger in Mali and what WFP is doing to deliver food and hope to the people who live there.
The food security and nutrition situation in northern Mali has deteriorated significantly following a conflict in the northern part of the county which has forced some 475,000 people from their homes while making it difficult to reach those who stayed behind with assistance.
One household in five faces extreme food shortages in northern regions like Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal with a significant deterioration of household food consumption over the past weeks, according to a recent analysis by the humanitarian community.
Around 15 percent of children in Mali suffered from acute malnutrition, even before the crisis. More than one fifth of school-aged children do not attend school. Three quarters of them are girls.
Some 69 percent of Mali’s population lives below the national poverty line. That’s one reason it’s ranked 175 out of 187 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index.
WFP expects to assist around one million people this year in Mali. A little over half are families affected by the conflict, while the rest are people in the southern part of the country receiving nutritional support for their families while they work on community-building projects.
WFP is transporting food to northern Mali using a cross-border operation from Niger as a complement to food arriving from the country's south. In March, WFP provided food assistance to some 125,700 people in northern Mali, in addition to 152,300 people from the region who've fled to other parts of the country.
In addition to providing food to families displaced by the fighting, WFP is also giving them cash, which they can use to buy fresh meat and vegetables. That will give them the flexibility to choose what foods to buy while giving a much needed boost to the local economy.
WFP Ambassadors Amadou and Mariam are both from Mali. The pop duo first met at the Institute for the Young Blind in Bamako where they started performing together, before going on to become stars on the world music scene. They became ambassadors in 2010 with a visit to quake-stricken Haiti where they filmed the video for the single “Labendela” about the fight against hunger.
The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) demands that Europe should provide more humanitarian aid for more than 440,000 civil war refugees in Mali. On Tuesday, the human rights organization recalled that, according to UN figures, only 28 percent of the required 315 million Euros have been provided. "France spent more than 200 million Euros on the military operation in northern Mali alone, so surely it should be possible for the international community to provide help for the needy," said the STP's Africa-expert, Ulrich Delius, in Göttingen on Tuesday. "Europe may not forget these refugees!" Following an invitation by the EU and France, representatives from all over the world met at a conference in Brussels on Wednesday to debate on the financing of reconstruction in northern Mali.
While there is no shortage of food, the refugees suffer from disastrous water supplies – and there is no schooling for the children. In northern Mali, only 385 of the 1005 schools are open at the moment and only 86,000 of 200,000 children are able to attend. All the schools are closed in the region of Kidal, so about 6,000 children have had no schooling for months. "This is a heavy burden for the region's future."
"The civil war refugees are the key to the development of the country. As long as they can't return, there will be no significant reconstruction in northern Mali," warned Delius. The majority of the 270,000 IDPs and 170,000 refugees living in neighboring countries are Tuareg, Arabs and Fula people who escaped for fear of being attacked by the Malian army and from clashes with radical Islamists. According to the army, the Tuareg and Arabs themselves are responsible for their significant terrain losses in northern Mali in 2012.
There are still acts of revenge by soldiers or militias against the civilian population. "Further serious attacks will take place, if the Malian soldiers manage to take the city of Kidal in north-eastern Mali, which had so far been controlled by the Tuareg liberation movement MNLA," said Delius. "Public safety must be ensured in the Tuareg stronghold – soon!"
Ulrich Delius is available for further questions: +49 (0)551-49906-27.
Translated by Robert Kurth
In the wake of the food crises of the early 1970s and the resulting World Food Conference of 1974, a group of innovators realized that food security depends not only on crop production but also on the policies that affect an entire food system, from farm to table. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) was founded in 1975, the same year as the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, which formally created the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOWAS’s mission is “to promote economic integration in all fields of economic activity, particularly industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial questions, social and cultural matters.” For the past two decades, IFPRI has provided solid research and evidence-based policy options to partners in West and Central Africa and the rest of the developing and developed world.
IFPRI’s engagement in Africa accounts for more than 50 percent of the Institute’s overall resources. IFPRI’s two African regional offices actively work with governments, research institutions, and other stakeholders to provide policy-relevant research results. IFPRI’s West and Central Africa Office (WCAO) located in Dakar, Senegal, offers regional stakeholders broader access to IFPRI’s public goods while allowing the Institute to work directly with local partners. Through its Strategy and Development Roundtables, the office brings together leading experts, researchers, and development practitioners, creating space for in-depth, high-level strategic debate, and through its Thematic Research Notes series, the office contributes to debates on emerging issues of strategic importance to countries within the region. IFPRI conducts its policy research and communications in West and Central Africa in close collaboration with the African Union Commission, ECOWAS, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordination Agency, and other key stakeholders in the West and Central Africa region.
African countries have experienced an unprecedented period of economic growth. This recent progress across African nations, however, has not yet compensated for the ground lost to economic stagnation and the resulting poverty, hunger, and malnutrition that occurred during the previous 25 years. Consequently, African economies remain under acute pressure to not only continue to grow swiftly and steadily but also to sustain their poverty-reducing efforts. In November 2012, ECOWAS launched a three-year program that promotes food security and self-sufficiency. Achieving this ambitious target, however, will require significant policy and budgetary support for the agricultural sector. While notable progress has been achieved in recent years, the region continues to work toward ensuring food security and improving livelihoods despite challenges such as climate change and food price volatility.
This brochure highlights some of IFPRI’s work in the region carried out in partnership with West and Central African governments, organizations, and institutions over the course of the past two decades and describes new initiatives that are expected to positively influence food security policies that benefit the poorest.
The European Union will allocate an extra €12 million in humanitarian aid for Mali. This was announced today by ECHO´s commissioner Kristalina Georgieva during the international donor conference for the development of Mali, organised in Brussels jointly by the European Union, France and Mali.
"Today the international community is coming together to help give Mali a long-term development perspective. But we should not forget the urgent humanitarian needs of many Malians affected both by the conflict in the North since early 2012, and the food and nutrition crisis which continues to hit many of the most vulnerable people. The food crisis is now reaching emergency levels in some parts of Northern Mali. The lean season is making this worse, in Mali as elsewhere in the Sahel - so we need to act urgently to help get assistance to people."
The extra funding on humanitarian aid will increase food assistance and access to basic health services and clean water and will ensure that refugees and internally displaced Malians in and outside the country continue to receive vital aid.
In 2013, the European Commission has so far allocated €54 million in humanitarian funds to assist Malians, 400,000 of whom are either displaced within the country or refugees in neighbouring countries. Since the beginning of 2012, the European Commission has mobilised a total of €127 million in humanitarian aid for the country. This amount includes a total of €112 from the humanitarian budget and €15 million from the European Development Fund used for emergency food assistance. The EU Member States committed an additional €50 million of humanitarian aid to Malians in 2012-13.
La recherche sur les politiques alimentaires au service de la réduction de la pauvreté et de la faim
À la suite des crises alimentaires du début des années 1970 et de la Conférence mondiale de l’alimentation de 1974 qui en a résulté, un groupe de visionnaires novateurs a compris que la sécurité alimentaire ne dépendait pas uniquement de la production agricole, mais également des politiques portant sur l’ensemble des systèmes alimentaires, de la ferme à la table. L’Institut international de recherche sur les politiques alimentaires (IFPRI) a été fondé en 1975, l’année même de la signature du traité de Lagos qui créait officiellement la Communauté économique des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (CEDEAO). Celle-ci a pour mandat de « promouvoir l’intégration économique dans tous les domaines de l’activité économique, en particulier l’industrie, les transports, les télécommunications, l’énergie, l’agriculture, les ressources naturelles, le commerce, les questions monétaires et financières, les affaires sociales et culturelles ». Au cours des vingt dernières années, l’IFPRI s’est évertué à produire de sérieux travaux de recherche et des options politiques fondées sur des données probantes à l’intention de ses partenaires en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre ainsi que dans le reste du monde développé et en développement.
L’IFPRI consacre plus de 50 % de ses ressources totales à l’Afrique. Ses deux bureaux régionaux africains collaborent activement avec des gouvernements, des instituts de recherche et d’autres parties intéressées, en vue de produire des résultats de recherche pertinents pour les politiques. Situé à Dakar, au Sénégal, le bureau de l’IFPRI pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre est largement ouvert à tous ses partenaires, en particulier à ses partenaires locaux avec lesquels il peut travailler directement. Autour de ses tables rondes consacrées aux stratégies et au développement, le bureau rassemble des experts, chercheurs et professionnels du développement de tout premier plan, offrant ainsi un espace à des débats stratégiques approfondis de haut niveau. La série de ses Thematic Research Notes (notes de recherche thématiques) lui permet de contribuer aux débats sur des questions nouvelles d’une importance stratégique pour les pays de la région. En Afrique occidentale et centrale, l’IFPRI mène ses recherches et communications sur les politiques en étroite collaboration avec la Commission de l’Union africaine, la CEDEAO, l’Agence de planification et de coordination du Nouveau partenariat pour le développement en Afrique (NEPAD), et d’autres partenaires majeurs de la région.
Les pays africains ont vécu une période de croissance économique jusque là inconnue. Ces progrès récents ne leur ont toutefois pas permis de rattraper le terrain perdu à cause de la stagnation économique des 25 années précédentes, ni d’éliminer la pauvreté, la faim et la malnutrition qui en ont résulté. Les économies africaines restent par conséquent contraintes de poursuivre non seulement une croissance soutenue et régulière, mais aussi leurs efforts pour réduire la pauvreté. En novembre 2012, la CEDEAO a lancé un programme de trois ans visant à promouvoir la sécurité et l’autosuffisance alimentaires. La réalisation de cet objectif ambitieux nécessitera un appui politique et budgétaire important au secteur agricole. Bien que des progrès remarquables aient été réalisés ces dernières années, la région poursuit ses efforts pour assurer la sécurité alimentaire et améliorer les conditions de vie en dépit de défis tels que le changement climatique et la volatilité des cours de produits alimentaires.
Cette brochure met en évidence certains des travaux que l’IFPRI a entrepris dans la région au cours des deux dernières décennies en partenariat avec des gouvernements d’Afrique occidentale et centrale et autres organisations et institutions. Elle décrit de nouvelles initiatives qui devraient influencer positivement les politiques de sécurité alimentaire bénéficiant aux plus pauvres.
Minister for Trade and Development Joe Costello announces further Irish support of €2.5 million for Mali humanitarian crisis
The Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, will today pledge an additional €2.5 million from the Government in support of the humanitarian and recovery effort in Mali.
The Minister is attending a major international Donor Conference on Mali in Brussels today, May 15. The Conference, which is jointly hosted by the EU and the French Government, will be attended by representatives of more than 80 countries and international organisations to mobilise international funding for Mali.
Speaking in advance of his address to the Conference, Minister Costello said:
”I am pleased to announce today that Ireland can immediately pledge additional assistance of €2.5 million in support of the humanitarian response and recovery effort in Mali over the next two years. Almost 750,000 people in Mali need immediate assistance if we are to avoid a further deepening of this humanitarian crisis.
“The funding I am pledging today will support refugees and other civilians affected by the conflict and help communities rebuild their lives in the years ahead. Ireland is also committed to supporting international and domestic efforts to prepare for elections and to monitor human rights, working in close partnership with other donors and civil society.”
The funding announced today is in addition to €1.8m already allocated by Ireland for humanitarian assistance in Mali in 2013.
Referring to the broader response to the Mali crisis, the Minister said:
”Ireland fully supports the EU’s comprehensive approach in Mali, working through political and diplomatic engagement, security assistance as well as development cooperation and humanitarian action to address the root causes and the effects of the instability in Mali. We also support the full implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions which have been adopted, including most recently UNSCR 2100, which authorises the establishment of the new UN Peacekeeping Operation, MINUSMA.
“Ireland, as EU Presidency, is proud to have played a role in the international efforts that have brought much needed stability and security for the people of Mali, especially by facilitating discussion and action at EU level. We are proud also to contribute trainers and HQ personnel to the EU Training Mission which is working to strengthen and reform the Malian army, including by providing important training in human rights.”
Press Office
For further information contact Fionnuala Quinlan, Press Office, Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 01-408 2653 or 087-909 9975
Emergency relief for the most vulnerable people in Mali and the West African Sahel region
The UK will help to prevent desperate food shortages and make Mali and the West African Sahel more stable and secure, International Development Secretary Justine Greening has announced.
Mali has suffered from years of humanitarian crises, conflict and an evolving terrorist threat. It is firmly in Britain’s national security interest to see a stable Sahel and today’s announcements will address some of the root causes of instability and help people across the region rebuild their lives.
Britain’s new relief package will help at least 350,000 people in the one of the poorest and most unstable regions to withstand future shortages by giving them the chance to grow their own crops, rear livestock and help them trade.
The support will also provide emergency relief to people who have fled their towns and villages in the recent conflict in Mali.
Speaking in Brussels at an international conference on the relief efforts in the region, Justine Greening said:
“Britain’s support has been a lifeline to many over the past year, but it makes sense to work out how to prevent future shortages and help the region to become more stable. It is also firmly in the UK’s national interest.
“The international community needs to work together to provide the long-term approach the region needs to avoid falling back into crisis.”
Working over 3 years, the UK’s £128 million package will include:
-healthcare, nutritional food, clean water, sanitation, education and a more reliable food supply for 270,000 people across five countries in Sahel
-emergency healthcare, medicine and food for refugees and people forced from their homes in Niger and Mali. Working through the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UK will also provide seeds, tools and livestock support for families to restart their livelihoods
-helping families across the Sahel region to be more resilient to future disasters, droughts or floods and help them protect or recover their livelihoods. Working with a range of aid agencies, Britain will ensure that thousands of people and their families can cope better with future shocks, develop new and sustainable sources of food and income, such as rearing new livestock, growing new crops and giving them the opportunity to trade and buy food from markets.
-safe and secure travel for 1,500 aid workers in Niger, Mauritania and Chad to ensure aid reaches where it is needed most.
The UN estimate that over 10 million people will be at risk of food shortages across the Sahel in 2013 and that over 1.4 million children will require medical treatment for severe acute malnutrition.
Weak governance also provides the conditions in which violent extremism can flourish, which is why serious, long-term dialogue and reconciliation must take place in Mali.
Despite the scale of the crisis, the UN’s own appeal for humanitarian aid in the Sahel has only received £299 million in support – or 27% of the funds it needs to deal with crisis on the ground. Without further support, UN agencies may be forced to scale back their relief efforts. Britain’s new aid package will work with a range of UN and aid agencies to ensure that the poorest have the support they need.
Le 15 mai 2013
Bruxelles (Belgique) — En tant que principal donateur, le Canada continuera à fournir de la nourriture et des services de santé de base à la population du Mali. Aujourd'hui, au nom de l'honorable Julian Fantino, ministre de la Coopération internationale, la députée Lois Brown, secrétaire parlementaire du ministre de la Coopération internationale, a réaffirmé le soutien du Canada à l'égard de la population du Mali à l'occasion d'une conférence internationale des donateurs à Bruxelles.
« À titre de donateur principal, le Canada veut s'assurer que l'on répond aux besoins élémentaires du peuple malien, a déclaré la députée Brown. Pendant la conférence, le Canada a de nouveau montré que sa démarche consiste toujours à aider les Maliens à construire un nouveau Mali sur des assises plus solides. »
Le Canada a participé à cette conférence importante dans le but de mobiliser l'appui nécessaire pour s'attaquer aux grosses difficultés qui entravent le développement du Mali. La députée Brown a annoncé un nouvel investissement visant à atténuer le risque de troubles civils et à poursuivre la prestation des services de base en matière de santé, de sécurité alimentaire et d'éducation. Cet investissement appuie le Plan de redressement durable du Mali pour 2013 2014.
« Le Canada est un voisin compatissant, a affirmé le ministre Fantino. Il continuera à collaborer avec d'autres donateurs, avec des organisations non gouvernementales canadiennes et des organisations multilatérales, comme le Programme alimentaire mondial, pour offrir de la stabilité à la population du Mali. »
L'engagement annoncé cette semaine que le Canada se soit engagé à verser la somme supplémentaire de 10 millions de dollars, afin :
d'appuyer la Mission internationale de soutien au Mali sous conduite africaine jusqu'à ce qu'une nouvelle mission des Nations Unies puisse être mise sur pied;
d'aider à rétablir les institutions démocratiques avant les élections prévues pour juillet et à préserver l'intégrité territorial du Mali;
de soutenir l'Union européenne dans ses efforts pour assurer l'instruction des Forces armées maliennes afin qu'elles puissent protéger les droits fondamentaux des civils maliens.
Le Canada est résolu à aider des pays comme le Mali. Le Plan d'action économique de 2013 réaffirme l'engagement pris par le Canada à l'égard du développement international et de l'assistance humanitaire. Le nouveau ministère des Affaires étrangères, du Commerce et du Développement permettra de rendre l'aide plus efficace, transparente et ciblée et de continuer d'améliorer le sort des personnes démunies à l'échelle internationale.
— 30 —
Pour de plus amples renseignements, les représentants des médias sont priés de communiquer avec :
Daniel Bezalel Richardsen Attaché de presse du ministre de la Coopération internationale Téléphone : 819-953-6238 Courriel : danielbezalel.richardsen@acdi-cida.gc.ca
Bureau des relations avec les médias Agence canadienne de développement international (ACDI) Téléphone : 819-953-6534 Courriel : media@acdi-cida.gc.ca Suivez-nous sur Twitter : @ACDI_CA
Selon Oxfam, les bailleurs internationaux doivent appuyer le Mali dans ses efforts de reconstruction de la gouvernance et à mettre fin à son effondrement afin de restaurer la paix suite à l’intervention menée par la France.
Oxfam publie un rapport intitulé « Mali : Un nouveau contrat de développement » alors que les bailleurs se réunissent aujourd’hui à Bruxelles pour discuter du futur du pays.
Selon Marietou Diaby, directrice pays pour Oxfam au Mali, depuis l’éclatement de la crise l’année dernière, l’attention internationale portée sur le Mali s’est jusqu’ici principalement focalisée sur des questions de sécurité et de contre-terrorisme. Ce champs doit être désormais élargi.
« Les bailleurs doivent tirer les leçons de crises telles que l’Afghanistan et la Somalie. Une approche étroite de la victoire sur le plan militaire n’est jamais suffisante pour parvenir à la paix et à la sécurité sur le long terme, déclare Mme Diaby. Les bailleurs doivent aider à construire les fondations d’une situation économique réellement viable au Mali – autrement, ils n’auront fait que la moitié du travail. »
Aujourd’hui, la situation au Mali est extrêmement difficile. Depuis le mois dernier, la population du nord du pays fait face à la seconde crise alimentaire en deux ans. On rapporte des pénuries alimentaires, ruptures d’approvisionnements et une inflation galopante. Environ 467 000 personnes – presque un tiers de la population du nord – ont été déplacées par le conflit. L’économie du pays est en déclin, et l’indice de développement humain calculé par l’ONU montre que le Mali est devenu un des cinq pays les plus pauvres du monde durant les 12 derniers mois.
Oxfam souligne que le Mali a un fort potentiel économique. Le Mali est le troisième plus important producteur d’or en Afrique, mais la population n’a jusqu’ici pas profité de cette richesse. Un Malien sur cinq – environ 3 millions de personnes – vivent dans une pauvreté extrême et sont dans l’impossibilité de satisfaire leurs besoins nutritionnels essentiels.
« Le gouvernement malien est responsable devant son peuple de la conduite de la politique de développement, poursuit Mme Diaby. Il doit améliorer la gestion de ses ressources et distribuer les bénéfices d’une manière plus équitable. Il doit faire face aux défis de la corruption et du manque de transparence. Afin de parvenir à une situation économique viable au Mali, il est nécessaire de se baser sur les besoins et les intérêts des populations et de lui permettre de jouer un rôle plus central dans la détermination de son futur. »
Selon Oxfam, une aide au développement intelligente peut jouer un rôle significatif en cette période cruciale. Les bailleurs semblent réaliser qu’il est temps d’opter pour une approche centrée sur les problèmes structurels qui entravent le développement du Mali. Ils doivent désormais passer à l’action, en fournissant immédiatement des ressources destinées à la réponse humanitaire et en engageant des fonds sur le long terme, au moins pour les 15 prochaines années. Ils doivent par ailleurs clairement affirmer leur volonté de voir le gouvernement utiliser ses ressources pour lutter contre la pauvreté, la corruption et les inégalités, ainsi que pour promouvoir les droits humains.
Contacts
Pour de plus amples informations, merci de bien vouloir contacter :
Bruxelles : Angela Corbalan +32473562260 ou angela.corbalan@oxfaminternational.org
Paris : Pierre Motin +33612126394 ou pmotin@oxfamfrance.org
Mali : Habibatou Gologo +22366752553 ou HGologo@oxfam.org.uk
Dakar : Marie Balde +221772901832 ou mbalde@oxfam.org.uk
Unresolved ethnic tensions threaten Mali peace, say Christian charities
For immediate release:
In a new report, Britain's leading faith-based development agencies have warned the international community that their support is urgently required to achieve lasting peace in Mali.
This comes as Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, prepares to attend a high level Mali Donor Conference in Brussels this week, co-chaired by the European Union and France, to discuss how to help rebuild the shattered country.
The report, ‘Mali: Division and Reconciliation', by CAFOD and Christian Aid, warns: “There are tensions both between local community members from different ethnic groups and with displaced people whose presence has altered the ethnic and economic composition of many communities.”
After fighting broke out in January 2012 between the Mali government and Tuareg rebels, the north of the country was occupied by Jihadist forces, leading the Malian government to request military assistance from France. More than 475,000 people fled the conflict in the north, resulting in 300,000 being left homeless inside the country and more than 175,000 refugees in neighbouring Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania. CAFOD’s and Christian Aid’s Malian Church partners caution that many communities now feel deep mistrust for each other.
Theodore Togo, Director of CAFOD’s partner Caritas Mali and contributor to the report, says: “Promoting reconciliation between the communities requires the restoration of confidence and peace at the local level. This is a complex task because the sense of injustice is currently very strong in some communities, as well as at the national level. National reconciliation is the essential element for the construction of a new Mali.”
The report reaches the following conclusions:
· Successful reconciliation in Mali will require long term and sustained support by donors who must recognise that it is a nationally led and owned process.
· The international community must focus not just on government-led processes, but must provide support to all levels of society, especially the work of civil society at local level, which is critical to the reconciliation process and to laying the foundations for fair and inclusive elections.
· Donors and governments must support initiatives which actively address conflict as part of the wider work of building the resilience of vulnerable communities in Mali.
The report also raises concerns that national elections, due to take place in Mali in July, will come too soon for the country to put in place the necessary electoral systems. It points out that large numbers of displaced people will find it difficult to register ahead of voting, making it harder to ensure proper Tuareg and Arab representation. An additional fear is that the push to hold early elections will put pressure on displaced communities to return to their homes while many areas still remain insecure.
Anne Street, CAFOD’s Humanitarian Policy Advisor and the author of the report, says: “Building a prosperous future for Mali means ensuring that all members of civil society play a role in shaping that future. The EU-French Mali Donor Conference in Brussels provides a golden opportunity to show support for the National Commission for Dialogue and Reconciliation to move towards achieving a durable peace.”
Notes to Editors:
CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, which works with communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America to tackle poverty and fight for justice. We work with all communities based on their needs, regardless of religion, gender or background.
Read the full report: ‘Mali: Division and Reconciliation: ‘Why donors should focus on civil society’
For further information please contact Nana Anto-Awuakye on 07799-477 541 or email nanto-awuakye@cafod.org.uk
The international donor community is gathering in Brussels on May 15 to consider a request to pledge about 340 million euros ($439 million) in support of “a new Mali.” With significant progress made in constraining the presence and influence of armed groups in the north, it is crucial to focus on the provision of human security for all communities in Mali. It is essential for the political process to be sufficiently inclusive to address the multiple crises facing the country.
The donor conference should focus on six issues:
First, the “plan for the sustainable recovery of Mali,” as submitted by the Malian government to the donors, introduces many important programs to take care of the humanitarian crisis, rebuild the governance of Mali, and ensure the provision of social services. But why is the concept of human security absent in the presentation of these development efforts? The reduction of poverty and improvement of the well being of the Malian people in relation to greater freedom and participation are all elements in a comprehensive approach to strengthen human security, which is the key to undoing the conditions that helped violent extremism gain influence.
Second, the recovery plan of the government does not address how a process of dialogue and mediation can be organized in the coming months to reconcile different aspirations and build consensus between the south and the north, including in particular those communities whose sense of being neglected greatly contributed to the crisis. There can be no development or institution-building in Mali without conscious and designated relationship-building in society.
Third, elections in Mali should be rescheduled if no sufficient human security can be ensured across the country in the coming months. The aggressive occupation of northern Mali has disrupted the social infrastructure, made thousands flee their homes, and caused a significant humanitarian crisis. In the plans submitted to the donors, it is expected that elections will be held before July 31st. In reality, it is hard to imagine that it will be possible to have a voting system in place on the basis of biometric voter registration within the next 10 weeks. Elections are important, but bad elections in which a significant number of the Malian people cannot effectively participate—notably the communities most affected by the crisis—will be a disaster. It will move the country backward rather than forward on the road to recovery.
Moreover, in the likely scenario that elections cannot happen before the end of July, what is plan B? If expectations of an election are created and then disappointed, the perpetuation of a government that lacks legitimacy can easily create a leadership vacuum and another crisis. A realistic planning of the elections and transparent communication to the Malian population about the election process are both urgent.
Fourth, the Mali government will not be able to take on the task of rebuilding the country alone. It will need to active participation of civil society. The government plan is not very explicit on this, other than emphasizing the role of women. The donor conference should take heed of the outcomes of a civil society preparatory meeting, which calls for strengthening the involvement of civil society in the design, implementation, and monitoring of development policies.
Fifth, Mali offers an opportunity for the donor community to finally set an example of better donor coordination. The world has witnessed a series of international agreements and statements all underlining how important it is to coordinate for effective development assistance, but these have rarely moved beyond rhetoric. It would be an important step if the donors could clarify how they will coordinate their efforts, how results will be measured within a common framework, and how their accountability is organized. The results of the International Dialogue on Statebuilding and Peacebuilding (IDPS) offer much of the necessary guidance.
Sixth, resolving the crisis in Mali needs to be put in a regional perspective, at state- as well as non-state levels. Armed groups in the Sahel move from country to country seeking grassy meadows of local grievances to feed on. This can only be addressed if governments, civil society, the international community, and other stakeholders collaborate within a regional scope. When the donors decide to support a new Mali, it has to be accompanied by a commitment to build capacities for providing human security in the West Africa region as a whole, with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as the most suitable organization to take the lead.
Emmanuel Bombande is the Executive Director, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), and Chair of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). Peter van Tuijl is GPPAC’s Executive Director.
Originally published in the Global Observatory
05/15/2013 16:28 GMT
by Bryan MC MANUS
BRUSSELS, May 15, 2013 (AFP) - International donors pledged a much more than expected 3.2 billion euros in aid Wednesday to help Mali avoid the mistakes which allowed Islamist rebels to seize vast swathes of the troubled country.
The meeting, co-hosted by the European Union and France, Mali's former colonial ruler, had an initial target of two billion euros ($2.6 billion) to cover about half the cost of a 2013-14 economic and political reconstruction programme agreed in cooperation with the international community.
But French President Francois Hollande said donors had been much more generous in view of the issues at stake in Mali, where rebels linked to Al-Qaeda threatened to capture the capital Bamako early this year before French military intervention forced them back.
"More than 3.25 billion euros has been mobilised at this conference," he said.
"We are showing that we can unify around a cause which concerns us all, Europe and Africa," Hollande told the more than 100 delegations.
"The terrorist groups in the north believed that they owned the place," he said, with France deciding to intervene because the rebels "had decided to conquer all of Mali and were looking even further afield."
Ultimately, the rebels "directly threatened the security of Europe," said Hollande, who was in Brussels as well for discussions with the European Union on the faltering French economy.
The president warned also that the problem has not ended with French intervention, insisting that Mali must live up to its commitments to hold elections in July and to promote national reconciliation.
Mali President Dioncounda Traore echoed those points, saying the crisis predated the problems of 2012 and stemmed from the country's economic and political failings.
"We must not mistake the consequences for the cause," Traore said. "We cannot hide our head in the sand."
Delegates made similar remarks through the day, highlighting the importance of the July polls in restoring democratic rule in the west African country.
The new government will have to lead Mali out of a crisis that has crippled the country since Tuareg tribes -- who have long felt marginalised by Bamako -- launched a fresh rebellion in January 2012 for independence in the north.
That revolt led to a military coup which in turn opened the way for the Tuareg and their Islamist allies to seize key northern cities.
However the Tuareg were quickly sidelined and the extremists chased them out, imposing a brutal form of sharia law in the cities under their control.
France sent in troops in January as the rebels advanced on Bamako.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said "the war is being won. Now we have to secure the peace."
Aid granted would be tied to an open and transparent Mali, with political reconciliation and democracy key elements in restoring stability to the country and to the wider Sahel region.
"That is why the elections must take place on the date indicated" of July 28, Fabius said. "You cannot separate (the country's development) from the democratic process."
President Traore has pledged that the July poll would go ahead but the country's election commission has warned that that might be too soon.
European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso announced that the EU would contribute 520 million euros while Hollande said France would offer 280 million euros.
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 providing 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.
France has begun withdrawing its 4,500 troops deployed in Mali and handing over the reins to a 6,300-strong African 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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