Segou, Mali (11 January 2013) – Scared Malians, mainly women and children, are on the move again following clashes between armed insurgents and the national army. They are fleeing towns such as Sévaré which is located 56km south of Konna – the town seized by armed insurgents on Friday.
“People are just fleeing Sévaré. They are leaving town using any transport available”, said Nouhoum Coulibaly director of GAAS Mali, a local NGO partner of Plan Mali.
In Segou, about 400km south of Sévaré, Programme Unit Manager of Plan Mali Bocoum Mamadou said that hundreds of displaced people (IDPs) are already arriving in the city.
“They are mainly children and women from Sévaré and the Mopti region. They are exhausted and stressed,” he said.
Plan’s Country Director William Michelet said that essential relief supplies are being positioned in Segou to help the newly displaced however the humanitarian response is hampered by inadequate funds.
“People are already arriving in Segou and our already stretched resources will not last long. We need help and fast if we are to meet the needs of the new IDPs, especially as the cold weather is now worsening the vulnerability of the children and their families”, he said.
Temperatures in Segou are currently between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius in a country that normally enjoys between 35-38 degrees during the summer.
Plan is already helping thousands of children and their families in Segou who were displaced in early 2012. Plan is delivering several services including child protection, education and nutrition.
On the ground, at the north-south border in Mali, a military operation is underway, with France pledging to intervene as quickly as possible to support the national army.
Plan says that the coming days will be crucial and the international community should act quickly to ensure that a major humanitarian crisis does not develop.
Further details please contact:
Edwige Depagne-Sorgho Emergency Communications Officer, Plan Mali Mobile: +223 74 18 96 91
Edwige.Depagne-Sorgho@plan-international.org
Thiekoro Coulibay, PR and Communications Advisor, Plan Mali
Mobile: +223 76 29 40 42
Email: Thiekoro.Coulibay@plan-international.org
Florence Cisse, Regional Media Specialist, Senegal,
Mobile: +221 777 403 600,
Email: Florence.cisse@plan-international.org
Terry Ally, Press Officer, Emergencies and Disasters, Plan International HQ, UK,
Mobile: + 44 7720 736 884