Food security Emergency in the northeast through the end of the lean season

KEY MESSAGES

• Northeast Nigeria continues to experience conflict-related restrictions to food access and availability. Between July and September, Borno State, as well as much of Yobe and northern Adamawa States will be in Crisis (IPC Phase 3), with worst affected areas, including Maiduguri IDP settlement areas, experiencing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity as households face larger food consumption gaps with increased risk for acute malnutrition and excess mortality.

• In northeast Nigeria, main season harvests, which will begin in October, are expected to be significantly below-average for the third consecutive year, limiting household availability of own production stocks, as well as market supply. Although October harvests will improve food availability somewhat, much of Borno State and parts of Yobe and Adamawa States will remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) between October and December as households continue to face difficulty meeting their basic food needs.

• Households throughout much of the rest of Nigeria will benefit from stable market prices for staple cereals and average seasonal incomes through September. New harvest stocks beginning in October will contribute to good markets supplies and a seasonal decrease in market prices. Below-average cereal prices and good sale prices for livestock will lead to favorable livestock-cereal terms of trade. Between July and December 2015, most of Nigeria will be in Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Following the completion of the process of the signing of a Peace and Reconciliation Agreement by all parties to the conflict in June 2015, a relative calm has been observed in affected-areas. The tens of thousands of people who fled their villages due to the surge of violence recorded in the Timbuktu region in MayJune 2015 have started to return home.

As of 30 June 2015, there were total of about 90,200 internally displaced persons in the country – more than half of whom in the Timbuktu region - and 136,800 Malian refugees in neighboring countries. The security situation in the north and center of the country remains fragile and sporadic incidents generate new displacements. Moreover, across the country, food insecurity affects about 3.1 million people during the lean season (June-August).

According to the 2015 SMART survey, malnutrition remains at worrying levels: nationwide, 12.4 percent of children suffer from global acute malnutrition (GAM) including 2.8 percent suffering from the most severe form. The Timbuktu region is the most affected (GAM rate of 17.5 percent).

APERÇU DE LA SITUATION

À la suite de l’achèvement du processus de signature d’un accord de paix et de réconciliation par toutes les parties au conflit en juin 2015, un calme relatif a été observé dans les zones affectées. Les dizaines de milliers de personnes qui s’étaient déplacées lors de la vague de violence en mai - juin 2015 dans la région de Tombouctou ont entrepris de rentrer chez elles.

Au 30 juin 2015, on compte un total d’environ 90 200 personnes déplacées internes au pays – dont plus de la moitié dans la région de Tombouctou - et 136 800 réfugiés maliens dans les pays voisins. La situation sécuritaire dans le nord et le centre du pays demeure fragile et des incidents sporadiques génèrent de nouveaux déplacements.

Par ailleurs, à l’échelle du pays, l’insécurité alimentaire touche environ 3,1 millions de personnes pendant la période de soudure (juin-août). Selon l’enquête SMART 2015, la situation nutritionnelle au pays demeure préoccupante : 12,4 pour cent des enfants souffrent de malnutrition aigüe globale (MAG) dont 2,8 pour cent atteints de la forme la plus sévère. La région de Tombouctou est la plus affectée (taux MAG de 17,5 pour cent.)

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Saturday 8/8/2015 - 12:01 GMT

by Ahamadou CISSE

Twelve people were killed, two of them foreigners, in a hostage siege at a hotel in central Mali that ended early Saturday when government troops stormed the building, the army said.

"There are 12 dead in all," an army officer told AFP after the operation at the Hotel Byblos in Sevare, listing the fatalities as five "terrorists", five soldiers and two "white people", whose identity was being checked.

The body of one of the foreign victims had lain in front of the hotel since Friday when the gunmen stormed the building, the officer said.

A source told AFP that "a number of hostages" had been freed from the hotel, including five foreigners, although their nationalities were not specified.

Located a few kilometres from the regional capital Mopti, Sevare is a key staging post on the road to Mali's desert north which fell to Islamic extremists in 2012.

The UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSMA) said in a statement Friday that "reports indicate that a member of the international personnel associated with MINUSMA was killed in the attack".

Sources said three South Africans, a Frenchman and a Ukrainian had been registered at the hotel at the time of the attack. A Russian diplomat said a Russian was among the hostages.

A source told AFP that a Russian man "hidden inside the building" had supplied "useful information" to Malian forces during the siege.

Gunmen had burst into the hotel at around 7:00 am (0700 GMT) on Friday, according to the government. At least one of the attackers was said to be wearing an explosives belt.

Malian forces cordoned off the area but their efforts to dislodge the attackers were complicated by the presence of hostages.

There were exchanges of fire throughout Friday and the army brought the siege to an end early Saturday, with one source saying foreign special forces were also involved.

The UN mission said the initial target of the attack was a Malian military site.

"The attackers, who were pushed back by the Malian Armed Forces, then took refuge in a hotel," MINUSMA said.

A spokesman for the Russian embassy in Mali told the RIA Novosti agency that the Russian hostage was an employee of UTAir, an aviation company that works with the UN peacekeeping mission.

A Ukrainian hostage managed to escape from the hotel and said up to five gunmen had led the hostage-taking in Sevare, which lies 620 kilometres (385 miles) south of the capital Bamako.

French President Francois Hollande said French citizens could also "possibly" be caught up in the attack.

• Sporadic attacks -

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes as Mali battles a resurgence in jihadist violence, two years after a French-led offensive routed three Islamist factions from most parts of the country.

France has more than 1,000 soldiers based in northern Mali as part of regional anti-terrorist efforts.

The hotel attack was the third assault in just a week in Mali, which is still struggling to restore stability despite a landmark peace deal agreed in June to end years of unrest and ethnic divisions.

Islamist militants have kidnapped a number of foreigners in Mali in recent years, at least two of whom are still being held hostage by Al-Qaeda's front group in the region AQIM.

AQIM and two allied Islamist groups seized control of Mali's north in 2012 before being ousted by French and Malian forces in January 2013.

The insurgents have continued to mount sporadic attacks from their bases in the desert, mainly in the north.

But the attacks have spread since the beginning of the year to the centre of the country and to the south near the borders with Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

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Bamako, Mali | AFP | samedi 08/08/2015 - 11:58 GMT

Douze personnes, dont cinq militaires maliens, ont été tuées lors de la prise d'otages dans un hôtel de Sévaré, dans le centre du Mali, selon un nouveau bilan communiqué samedi à l'AFP par des responsables de l'armée malienne.

"Il y a eu 12 morts au total" durant les opérations liées à l'attaque de l'hôtel Byblos par un commando armé, qui a retenu plusieurs personnes, a affirmé un des responsables.

Les douze tués sont "cinq Fama (membres des Forces armées maliennes), cinq terroristes et deux Blancs" dont les identités et nationalités étaient en cours de vérification, a-t-il indiqué.

Selon lui, parmi "ces deux Blancs, il y en a un dont le corps est resté longtemps devant l'hôtel, il y était visible depuis vendredi matin".

Une deuxième source militaire jointe dans la région de Mopti, couvrant Sévaré, a fait état à l'AFP de 12 morts, en déclinant tout détail. Un porte-parole de l'armée malienne, sollicité sur le bilan a simplement répond: "Affirmatif, douze morts".

Une source au ministère malien de la Défense a de son côté soutenu que pour ce qui concerne les militaires maliens, "le bilan des morts n'a pas changé depuis ce qui a été dit hier" (vendredi), soit cinq décès.

Vendredi soir, le gouvernement malien avait annoncé un "bilan provisoire" comprenant "cinq morts, deux blessés" du côté des forces armées maliennes (Fama) et "deux tués" dans le camp des assaillants ainsi que l'arrestation de sept suspects, sans plus de détails.

Auparavant, une des sources militaires maliennes avait parlé à l'AFP de huit morts: trois militaires, deux "terroristes" et trois "corps visibles devant l'hôtel à côté d'un minibus calciné", dont celui d'un homme à la peau blanche.

La Mission de l'ONU au Mali (Minusma) avait fait part de la mort dans l'attaque d'"un membre du personnel international associé de la Minusma".

Les assaillants, non identifiés de source officielle, avaient fait irruption vendredi vers 07H00 (locales et GMT) à l'hôtel Byblos de Sévaré, où séjournent régulièrement des expatriés, selon le gouvernement malien et des sources militaires.

D'après des sources militaires maliennes interrogées par l'AFP vendredi, au moins cinq étrangers - trois Sud-Africains, un Français et un Ukrainien - y étaient enregistrés avant l'assaut.

Une source diplomatique russe au Mali avait indiqué qu'un Russe employé d'une compagnie aérienne s'y trouvait également. De source militaire malienne, un Ukrainien avait pu s'échapper vendredi de l'hôtel et fait état de la présence avec lui à l'hôtel, avant l'attaque, de "trois Sud-Africains, un Russe comme expatriés".

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HIGHLIGHTS

• Thousands of Nigerians expelled by the Cameroonian authorities.

• Returned IDPs in Adamawa struggling to restart livelihoods.

• Fear of attack is one of the biggest barriers to reforming returned communities.

• New ways to assess needs in host communities are in the pipeline.

Welcome to the August issue of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project’s (ACLED) Conflict Trends report. Each month, ACLED researchers gather, analyse and publish data on political violence in Africa in realtime. Weekly updates to realtime conflict event data are published on the ACLED website, and are also available through our research partners at Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS).

This month’s issue focuses on Algeria’s fragile security situation, tentative peace agreements and violence between Islamic State and Al-Qaeda affiliated groups in Libya, strategic adaption of Al Shabaab forces in Kenya, continued Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, increased cultural protests in South Africa and the impact of sweeping security measures in Tunisia following the Sousse attack. Two Special Reports focus on peacekeeping and violence against civilians and governance and conflict.

Elsewhere on the continent, conflict events declined in Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo and clashes intensified as AMISOM forces advanced on Al Shabaab positions in south-west Somalia.

Early this morning, unidentified armed men launched an attack on a Malian military site in the town of Sevaré, in the Mopti region. The attackers, who were pushed back by the Malian Armed Forces, then took refuge in a hotel in town (Byblos). Confrontations between the attackers and the Malian Armed and Security Forces continued throughout the morning and shots continue to be fired sporadically at the hotel and in its vicinity.

Available reports indicate that a member of the international personnel associated with MINUSMA was killed in the attack.

MINUSMA condemns this despicable attack in the strongest terms.

MINUSMA continues to very closely monitor developments and to coordinate its efforts with the Malian authorities and the representatives of the international community and Barkhane.

At the request of the Malian authorities, MINUSMA has taken measures to ensure the transport of a Malian rapid intervention team from Bamako to Sevaré as reinforcements for the national armed and security forces who are on location. This team is accompanied by MINUSMA Police experts who will provide technical support, if necessary.

MINUSMA has also reinforced security at the Sevaré-Mopti airport and deployed a medical team that is already stationed at the airport to provide any necessary assistance.

New York, 7 August 2015

The Secretary-General condemns today's attack in Sévaré, Mali, which led to the death of at least one United Nations contractor. A number of soldiers from the Malian Armed Forces have also reportedly been killed and wounded in the incident which remains ongoing.

This attack will not lessen the determination of the United Nations to accompany the Malian people in their efforts to implement the peace agreement. The Secretary-General calls upon the people of Mali and the parties to the agreement to remain united in their pursuit of a just and sustainable peace.

The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the Government and people of Mali. He wishes a speedy and full recovery to the injured.

Déclaration attribuable au porte-parole du Secrétaire général sur l’attaque aujourd’hui à Sévaré au Mali

Le Secrétaire général condamne l’attaque perpétrée aujourd'hui à Sévaré au Mali qui a causé la mort d’au moins un employé contractuel des Nations Unies. Des soldats des Forces armées maliennes auraient également été tués et blessés dans cet incident qui est actuellement en cours.

Cette attaque n’affectera pas la détermination des Nation Unies à accompagner le peuple malien dans ses efforts pour mettre en œuvre l’accord de paix. Le Secrétaire général appelle le peuple malien et les parties signataires de l’accord à demeurer unis dans leur poursuite d’une paix juste et durable au Mali.

Le Secrétaire général présente ses condoléances aux familles des victimes ainsi qu’aux gouvernement et peuple du Mali. Il souhaite un prompt et complet rétablissement aux blessés.

New York 7 aout 2015

By Kate Pond

Following a spate of Boko Haram attacks the Cameroonian authorities have expelled an estimated 3,500 Nigerians from Cameroon over the past three weeks. Many of the expelled were people who had crossed to Cameroon fleeing Boko Haram attacks on their villages in Nigeria. OCHA met some young men who had recently been expelled to Malkohi Camp, a Government-run camp in Adamawa State in northeastern Nigeria. Malkohi houses about 1,000 men, women and children in gender-segregated quarters. Over in the men’s quarters, a group of recent repatriates gathered around, each clamouring to tell his story. Many spoke of having witnessed terrible violence and suffering, and most spoke with fear and anger.

Read the full article

Yaounde, Cameroon | AFP | Saturday 8/8/2015 - 02:49 GMT | 702 words

by Reinnier Kaze in Yaounde and Celia Lebur in Libreville

Empty streets, body searches and tips to police embody the fear that Boko Haram has instilled in northern Cameroon, where they killed more than 40 people in suicide bombings in July.

Raiders from the Nigerian sect later kidnapped 135 villagers and killed eight others in a pre-dawn strike across the border last Tuesday, police and local sources said.

Boko Haram has attacked villages in Cameroon's Extreme North region for about two years, but the horrific bombings mark a change of tactics, while Cameroonian troops have joined a regional force to tackle the Islamists.

The suicide bombers can be young women and even teenage girls, who behave like locals and blend in at crowded places to cause maximum casualties.

Residents of Maroua, the main town in the Extreme North, were spared until successive blasts tore though the bustling central market and a bar on July 22 and 25. Those bombs killed 33 people and wounded dozens more.

"We're very worried and no longer know where to turn," says Albert, a worried father.

"Should we send the children to school when the next school year starts?" he ponders. "Boko Haram is against Western education and may very well carry out attacks on schools."

The sect's name loosely translates as "Western education is forbidden", and Boko Haram notoriously abducted 276 Nigerian schoolgirls in April last year.

Some managed to escape but more than 200 are believed to be held in the large Sambisa forest, where the Nigerian army this week said it had freed 178 captives.

• 'People like you and me' -

Boko Haram has frequently massacred students in northeastern Nigeria during an insurgency with the aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate, at a cost of at least 15,000 lives since 2009.

"When you see somebody who isn't familiar in the neighbourhood, you call the police," says Oumarou, who works for a Maroua logistics firm.

He has sent his family away to Douala, Cameroon's economic capital on the Atlantic, more than 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) away.

Information Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has meanwhile heaped praise on an astute taxi-motorcycle driver who turned in a 15-year-old boy carrying explosives last week.

The driver found the teen was behaving suspiciously and decided to drive him to a police station, where he was detained. Two other suspects were picked up.

"Their objective was to blow up inside a mosque," Bakary said.

Security has been tightened repeatedly in Maroua. When the market closes at 5:00 pm, "everybody goes home. There is nobody left on the streets apart from the soldiers," Oumarou says.

Sources in the security forces believe that Boko Haram infiltrators and sympathisers have operated in Maroua for months, relaying information to their chiefs.

"They are people like you and me," a Cameroonian army officer says. "It's almost impossible to identify them."

Bus terminals catering for southern destinations, notably big cities like Douala and the capital Yaounde, are closely watched. Passengers are always frisked as they board their coaches.

"You feel the threat most because of all the checkpoints on the roads," says Olivier, a young French expatriate in Douala.

"The police have tightened up their searches. They make us empty our cars completely, and our bags."

• 'We no longer know who's who' -

In Yaounde, police and troops are omnipresent.

"People have been very ill at ease since there were suicide attacks" in the north, trader Abdoulaye Sani says.

"We no longer know who's who. I'm afraid when I'm walking... I'm afraid that something will happen, that a bomb will explode and take me with it," adds the young man.

In one working-class district with a large Muslim community, police last week used strong-arm tactics during searches of houses and mosques. They rounded up several dozen people, according to the local media.

The information minister said that security forces were carrying out a sweep in several parts of the country, which led to the arrest of "many suspects".

But such assurances fail to reassure.

"We don't go to parties, we avoid places where there is too much of a crowd," says Darly, an adolescent in the capital.

"We're afraid that the suicide bombers will come here to Yaounde," she said.

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An Islamic Relief project has empowered one of Niger’s poorest districts to fight malnutrition, particularly among mothers and children.

In the Tillabéri region’s Kollo district, few families had adequate access to healthcare – with few medical services available and only poor quality care on offer. In addition, many health workers and families were badly equipped to prevent and spot malnutrition in children.

An Islamic Relief project which began late last year, therefore, is already making a big difference. Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA), it has trained local health staff to diagnose and treat malnutrition, and introduced an extra 17 health workers.

A mass screening campaign followed, covering 100 villages to identify malnourished children and adults living some distance from health facilities – and provide free treatment. Dozens of community volunteers were also trained to support awareness-raising that empowered families with knowledge of how to prevent malnutrition.

Building quality and capacity

Medicines were given to 27 health centres in the district, and two new ambulances now transport patients referred for specialist care. We have also boosted access to water, by installing 20 new water tanks at medical centres.

In addition, we have renovated and improved infrastructure at the CRENI therapeutic feeding centres and provided regular monitoring to support the delivery of quality healthcare services. With extra capacity and armed with the latest best practice, the local health system is better equipped to tackle malnutrition and many other conditions. The project has also created an active steering committee that brings a range of stakeholders together to improve public health in the area.

The rate of recovery from severe acute malnutrition in Kollo has increased from 84.75 per cent in 2013 to 91.32 per cent the following year. Likewise, the mortality rate has gone down. By 2014, 0.12 per cent of malnourished people died – compared to 0.45 per cent in the previous year.

The project by Islamic Relief in Niger completed in May and has directly helped some 8,838 people.

Bamako, Mali | AFP | Friday 8/7/2015 - 22:38 GMT

by Ahamadou CISSE

At least 12 people including four foreign UN contractors died in a hostage siege at a hotel in central Mali that ended after government troops stormed the building early Saturday.

"There are 12 dead in all," an army officer told AFP after the operation at the Hotel Byblos in Sevare, listing the fatalities as five "terrorists", five soldiers and "two white people".

A senior source in the Malian army said the final toll had yet to be confirmed and would "probably" be higher.

The UN mission in Mali MINUSMA for its part said two Ukrainians, a Nepalese and a South African were killed in the almost 24-hour-long drama, as well as a Malian driver working for a company contracted by the mission.

It said four other UN contractors -- two South Africans, a Russian and a Ukranian -- were rescued and were in "good health."

"The attackers did not detect their presence in the hotel and MINUSMA was in permanent contact with them throughout the attack and until its end," it added.

South Africa's foreign ministry said a 38-year-old man from Pretoria was killed in the siege while two other South Africans were safe.

Local media identified the victim as Roelof Janse van Rensburg. A foreign ministry spokesman said he was working for an aviation company hired by MINUSMA.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said four of its nationals were caught up in the attack, one of whom was killed. One managed to escape while the other two were rescued in the dawn raid by security forces.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack, which comes as Mali is seeking to implement a June peace deal despite continuing unrest from militant groups and a spike in jihadist attacks.

"This attack will not lessen the determination of the United Nations to accompany the Malian people in their efforts to implement the peace agreement," his spokesman said in a statement.

France also issued a statement condemning "in the strongest possible terms" the Sevare siege and reiterated its support for the Malian security forces and MINUSMA "in the fight against terrorism".

Located a few kilometres from the regional capital Mopti, Sevare is a key staging post on the road to Mali's desert north which fell to Islamic extremists in 2012.

• Bullet holes -

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the assault, which began when gunmen burst into the hotel at around 7:00 am (0700 GMT) on Friday. At least one of the attackers was said to be wearing a belt of explosives.

Malian forces cordoned off the area but their efforts to dislodge the attackers were complicated by the presence of hostages.

There were exchanges of fire throughout Friday and the army brought the siege to an end early Saturday, with one source saying foreign special forces were also involved.

The UN mission said the initial target of the attack was a Malian military site.

"The attackers, who were pushed back by the Malian Armed Forces, then took refuge in a hotel," MINUSMA said.

A Ukrainian hostage who managed to escape from the hotel said up to five gunmen had led the hostage-taking in Sevare, which lies 620 kilometres (385 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako.

Four Malian soldiers who lost their lives in the attack were buried in the town on Saturday in front of a large crowd of mourners, a local resident told AFP.

"As for the bodies of the hostage takers, they have been left where they are. No one has touched them," the man, who did not wish to be named, said by phone.

The walls of the Byblos hotel were riddled with bullet holes after the attack. The body of an unidentified man was seen lying outside the building near a burnt-out van, pictures from the scene showed Saturday.

The attack was the third in Mali in just a week as it battles a resurgence in jihadist violence two years after a French-led offensive routed Islamist groups from their northern strongholds.

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Bamako, Mali | AFP | dimanche 09/08/2015 - 01:18 GMT

par Ahamadou CISSE

La sanglante prise d'otages par un commando armé dans un hôtel de Sévaré, dans le centre du Mali, à laquelle les forces maliennes ont mis fin samedi, a fait au moins 12 morts et n'avait toujours pas été revendiquée dimanche matin.

"Il y a eu 12 morts au total" durant les opérations dans cette ville située à plus de 620 km au nord-est de Bamako, a affirmé samedi à l'AFP un responsable militaire malien: "Cinq Fama (membres des Forces armées maliennes), cinq terroristes et deux Blancs" dont les identités et nationalités sont en cours de vérification.

Deux autres sources militaires distinctes ont confirmé à l'AFP ce bilan de douze tués. Pourtant, si l'on tient compte des dernières déclarations de l'ONU, ce bilan pourrait être plus lourd et atteindre 15 morts. Sollicité, un responsable de l'armée malienne a indiqué qu'aucun bilan définitif n'était arrêté et qu'il pourrait y avoir "probablement" plus de décès.

Dans un communiqué, la Mission de l'ONU au Mali (Minusma) a en effet annoncé que cinq employés travaillant pour des sous-traitants ont péri: "Un Malien, qui était le chauffeur de la compagnie sous-traitante de la Minusma, un Népalais, un Sud-Africain et deux Ukrainiens."

Elle fait également état de quatre rescapés: deux Sud-Africains, un Russe et un Ukrainien. "Ils sont tous en bonne santé. Leur présence à l'hôtel n'a pas été détectée par les assaillants et la Minusma était en contact permanent avec eux tout au long de l'attaque et jusqu'au dénouement de la situation", précise-t-elle.

Quatre soldats maliens tués vendredi lors de l'assaut d'un commando armé contre l'hôtel ont été inhumés samedi à Sévaré en présence de deux ministres maliens et d'une foule nombreuse.

Selon un habitant, joint au téléphone par l'AFP depuis Bamako, les corps des preneurs d'otages sont restés sur place. "Personne ne les a touchés", a-t-il ajouté.

Les Etats-Unis ont "fermement condamné l'attaque terroriste" menée au Mali et exprimé leur solidarité avec le gouvernement de Bamako.

Plus tôt, le secrétaire général de l'ONU Ban Ki-moon avait réaffirmé dans un communiqué son soutien au processus de paix dans le pays.

Les assaillants, non identifiés et dont le nombre total demeure inconnu, avaient fait irruption vendredi vers 07H00 (locales et GMT) au Byblos de Sévaré, où séjournent régulièrement des expatriés.

Les forces maliennes avaient alors bouclé la zone et tenté de déloger les assaillants. Elles y sont finalement parvenues dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, a-t-on indiqué de source militaire, lors d'une opération menée par une unité d'élite de la gendarmerie "spécialisée dans les actions antiterroristes", avec "le concours et l'assistance" de forces spéciales étrangères.

L'intervention a permis de "libérer quatre otages", a-t-on précisé au ministère malien de la Défense, sans précision sur les nationalités.

• 'Une bravade' -

Située à 12 km de Mopti, la capitale régionale, Sévaré est une ville stratégique, dotée du plus important aéroport de la région utilisé par les forces maliennes et internationales.

Pour le journaliste et analyste malien Alexis Kalambry, le choix de Sévaré par les assaillants n'est pas anodin.

"Mopti est certainement la ville qui a la plus grande concentration de porteurs d'uniformes au Mali" et attaquer Sévaré, dans sa proche périphérie, "est une bravade et une opération de communication. Il s'agit de montrer qu'on n'a pas peur des forces présentes", a-t-il affirmé à l'AFP.

L'attaque n'avait pas encore été revendiquée dimanche, mais M. Kalambry y voit "la marque d'Iyad Ag Ghali", chef d'Ansar Dine, un des groupes jihadistes liés à Al-Qaïda ayant contrôlé pendant près de dix mois entre 2012 et début 2013 le nord du pays, à la faveur d'une rébellion touareg.

Mopti se situe à la lisière de ces vastes régions d'où les jihadistes ont été en grande partie chassés et dispersés par une intervention militaire internationale déclenchée en janvier 2013 à l'initiative de la France, et toujours en cours.

Cependant, des zones entières échappent encore au contrôle des autorités maliennes comme à celui des forces étrangères. Deux attaques jihadistes, les 1er et 3 août, ont causé la mort de 13 militaires maliens dans le centre et le nord.

A Sévaré, après une journée entière calfeutrés dans leurs maisons en raison de consignes de sécurité de l'armée, "les gens sont sortis" samedi, "la vie a repris son cours normal", se réjouissait un élu local.

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Tôt le matin aujourd’hui, des hommes armés non- identifiés ont lancé une attaque ciblant un site militaire malien dans la ville de Sevaré, région de Mopti. Les attaquants, qui ont été repoussés par les Forces Armées maliennes, se sont ensuite retranchés dans un hôtel de la ville (Byblos). Les confrontations entre les assaillants et les Forces Armées et de sécurité maliennes ont continué durant la matinée et des tirs sporadiques continuent à l’hôtel et à ses alentours.

Les rapports disponibles indiquent qu’un membre du personnel international associé de la MINUSMA a été tué durant l’attaque.

La MINUSMA condamne en les termes les plus vigoureux cette attaque ignoble.

La MINUSMA continue de suivre des très près le développement de la situation et de coordonner ses efforts avec les autorités maliennes et les représentants de la communauté internationale et Barkhane.

La MINUSMA, à la demande des autorités maliennes, a pris des dispositions pour assurer le transport d’une équipe malienne d’intervention rapide de Bamako à Sévaré en renfort aux forces armées et se sécurité nationales qui sont sur les lieux. Cette équipe est accompagnée par des experts de la Police de la MINUSMA pour apporter, au besoin, un appui technique.

La MINUSMA a également renforcé la sécurité de l’aéroport Sévaré-Mopti et a déployé une équipe médicale qui est déjà stationnée à l’aéroport pour apporter toute assistance éventuelle requise.

7 août 2015 – Le Secrétaire général de l'ONU, Ban Ki-moon, a condamné vendredi soir l'attaque perpétrée dans la journée à Sévaré, au Mali, qui a causé la mort d'au moins un employé contractuel des Nations Unies.

Des soldats des forces armées maliennes auraient également été tués et blessés dans cet incident qui est actuellement en cours, a déclaré le chef de l'ONU dans un communiqué de presse rendu public par son porte-parole.

« Cette attaque n'affectera pas la détermination des Nation Unies à accompagner le peuple malien dans ses efforts pour mettre en œuvre l'accord de paix », a affirmé le Secrétaire général.

M. Ban a par ailleurs appelé le peuple malien et les parties signataires de l'accord à demeurer « unis dans leur poursuite d'une paix juste et durable au Mali ».

Le Secrétaire général a présenté ses condoléances aux familles des victimes ainsi qu'au gouvernement et au peuple du Mali. Il a également souhaité un prompt et complet rétablissement aux blessés.

Plus tôt dans la journée de vendredi, avant d'avoir obtenu confirmation de la mort d'au moins un employé contractuel de l'Organisation, la Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation au Mali (MINUSMA) a elle aussi condamné cette attaque.

« Tôt ce matin aujourd'hui, des hommes armés non-identifiés ont lancé une attaque ciblant un site militaire malien dans la ville de Sévaré, dans la région de Mopti. Les attaquants, qui ont été repoussés par les forces armées maliennes, se sont ensuite retranchés dans un hôtel de la ville (Byblos). Les confrontations entre les assaillants et les forces armées et de sécurité maliennes ont continué durant la matinée et des tirs sporadiques continuent à l'hôtel et à ses alentours », a déclaré la MINUSMA dans un communiqué de presse.

« La MINUSMA condamne en les termes les plus vigoureux cette attaque ignoble », a déclaré la Mission, ajoutant qu'elle continuait de suivre de très près le développement de la situation et de coordonner ses efforts avec les autorités maliennes et les représentants de la communauté internationale.

La MINUSMA, à la demande des autorités maliennes, a pris des dispositions pour assurer le transport d'une équipe malienne d'intervention rapide de Bamako à Sévaré en renfort aux forces armées et de sécurité nationales qui sont sur les lieux. Cette équipe est accompagnée par des experts de la police de la MINUSMA pour apporter, au besoin, un appui technique.

La Mission onusienne a également renforcé la sécurité de l'aéroport Sévaré-Mopti et a déployé une équipe médicale qui est déjà stationnée à l'aéroport pour apporter toute assistance éventuelle requise.

Bamako, Mali | AFP | dimanche 09/08/2015 - 07:58 GMT

L'armée malienne a mené des patrouilles dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche dans le centre du Mali, après l'attaque vendredi d'un hôtel dans cette région qui a fait au moins douze morts dont des soldats maliens et des étrangers, a t-on appris dimanche auprès d'un habitant.

"Vraiment la nuit a été calme. L'armée a mené des patrouilles hier soir à travers la ville et surtout entre Mopti et Sévaré", a affirmé un habitant de Sévaré, joint au téléphone par l'AFP depuis Bamako.

"Les gens commencent à vaquer à leurs affaires. Tout revient normal ici à Sévaré", la capitale régionale du centre du Mali située à 12 km de Mopti, a ajouté cet habitant.

Des assaillants, non officiellement identifiés et dont le nombre total demeurait inconnu, ont fait irruption vendredi vers 07H00 (locales et GMT) au Byblos de Sévaré, où séjournent régulièrement des expatriés.

Ils en ont été délogés dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi par les forces maliennes.

Au moins 12 personnes dont "cinq terroristes" ont été tuées lors de la prise d'otages, selon différentes sources militaires maliennes.

Mais le bilan pourrait être plus élevé, la Mission de l'ONU au Mali (Minusma) ayant annoncé la mort de cinq employés travaillant pour ses sous-traitants : "Un Malien, qui était le chauffeur de la compagnie sous-traitante de la Minusma, un Népalais, un Sud-Africain et deux Ukrainiens".

Selon un responsable militaire, le bilan définitif n'a pas encore été arrêté et pourrait évoluer à la hausse.

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