Highlights
Fighting broke out in Kidal on 17 May, resulting in at least 28 dead, 3,450 displaced and Kidal coming under control of armed groups. While a cease-fire was declared days later, the situation remains tense. UNICEF has provided WASH kits for 50 families in Kidal and delivered five 72 m2 tents and three water bladders, which are prepositioned in Gao.
According to the UNICEF-led WASH Cluster, a lack of water in some secondary cities in northern Mali remains of concern. Some wells are running dry early due to the demand for water for household use and livestock.
Support for routine and supplementary immunisation activities in the North continues. Nearly one in ten of the over 7 million children vaccinated nationwide to date are in conflict-affected areas.
UNICEF has provided at least 421,936 school-aged children with education supplies since January 2014 across the country.
Two children associated with armed groups that were detained by French Serval forces during a military operation in Kidal were admitted to the UNICEF-supported Transit Centre where they are receiving care and protection.
The protocol for the SMART National Nutrition Survey has been prepared and validated, and the survey is planned to start in June 2014.
Humanitarian leadership and coordination
During the past reporting period, a Mali+ education workshop involving 35 participants from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, organized by UNHCR and UNICEF, has been held in Bamako . Annual work plans were reviewed for respective countries, and priority strategic interventions were established for education assistance for refugee and displaced Malian children. In Niger an agreement on repatriation of Malian refugees was signed by Mali, Niger and UNHCR. One of the immediate results will be the creation of a commission to define practical modalities for voluntary repatriation of Malian refugee students. In addition, the Birth Registration Working Group was established and held its second meeting, during which the terms of reference of the group were finalized and priority activities identified and validated. In collaboration with the Child Protection section of MINUSMA, UNICEF supported a training session for 65 people (NGO and government partners active in the Child Protection sub-cluster) on the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism on grave violations against children in situations of conflict (UNSCR 1612) in regions of Gao, Mopti and Timbuktu. Finally, WASH sub-clusters have been introduced in Gao and Timbuktu under the leadership of government technical services. Capacity building support for these groups began with the cluster coordinator completing missions in Gao and Timbuktu.
Humanitarian Strategy
In 2014, UNICEF will support the government in responding to the needs of populations affected by the conflict in the North as well as the nutritional crisis countrywide. Specifically, UNICEF will support the restoration of basic social services. This includes 1) re-establishment and reinforcement of the national vaccination cold chain system, 2) construction and rehabilitation of the water systems to improve access to safe water for 450,000 people, 3) reintegration of 460,000 children in schools to support the Ministry of Education Back-To-School campaign, 4) improvement of the quality of education through training of teachers, provision of supplies and creation of temporary spaces, 5) awareness-raising of mine risk and promotion of social cohesion, 6) assistance to separated children and children formerly associated with armed forces and groups for better access to referral services and reintegration opportunities, and 7) improved quality of services with a wider geographic coverage for GBV survivors. The nutrition crisis continues to affect the entire country. 496,000 children will be affected by acute malnutrition in 2014, with 85 per cent of the cases in the south. To address the structural causes of malnutrition, UNICEF will intensify its efforts in integrating a multi-sectorial approach and building resilience at community level.
