Preliminary Appeal Target: US$ 1,730,514
Less: Pledges/Contribution: US$ 696,800
Balance Requested: US$ 1,033,714
Geneva, 19th March 2013
Dear Colleagues,
Following a military coup d’état in Mali in March 2012, a combination of the separatist Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the Islamic jihadist Ansar Dine captured all of the northern Malian regions of Tombouctou, Gao and Kidal. Large numbers of civilians fled to the Malian southern regions and to the capital, Bamako, as well as across the borders into neighbouring countries.
Most organizations working on relief and development (including ACT Alliance members) had to abandon, at least temporarily, their operations in the north; later they resumed assistance in a restricted way to people that had moved southwards.
Mali is now the epicentre of a triple crisis currently affecting the Sahel i) The continued humanitarian impact of acute crisis of 2012 due to factors such as drought in 2011, high food prices and low agriculture production; ii) The underlying chronic nature of food insecurity, malnutrition and the erosion of resilience in the region; and iii) The current Mali crisis, which has resulted in the significant displacement of IDPs within the country and an on-going exodus of refugees to neighbouring countries.
On 11 January 2013, France launched a military intervention to assist Malian government forces to fight off the Islamist groups after they moved south and seized the town of Konna, as well as to stop their southward advance. The French have continued the air strikes, extending the campaign to Diabali, Lere, Gao and Douentza; as well as preventing their advance southward.
As of 27 January 2013, 15,208 new Malian refugees had arrived in Burkina Faso (5,002), Mauritania (8,468) and Niger (1,738). These figures may vary depending on the escalation of the situation in the combat zones. Based on monitoring of bus stations and certain public routes (pigasses) on 21 of February 2013, IOM estimates that Bamako is the district hosting more displaced (21% of total, 7908 households). Mopti (16%, 6122 households) and Segou (17%, 6553 households) also have a large number of IDPs. The total is 260,655.
An update on 22 February states that the risk of food insecurity is increasing in the north, where WFP had previously estimated that 585,000 people were food insecure and 1.2 million were at risk of food insecurity. It is estimated that in 2013, 660,000 children under 5 will suffer from malnutrition and 210,000 of those from severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
According to ACT Mali Forum preliminary needs assessment report, issues as education, protection, human rights (SGBV) needs are strongly highlighted. Therefore Food security, Education, Protection, Human rights, WASH, Reconciliation and peace building, Assistance to returnees, early recovery and resilience will be part of the emergency response.