Tearfund partners are preparing to step up help for thousands of people displaced by Mali’s civil conflict.
Some 412,000 Malians have fled their homes in the country’s north following the insurgency by Ansar Dine last January and many are now living in tough conditions among southern communities already under pressure from the region’s food crisis.
Four partners have formed a consortium to improve people’s access to food, promote public health and to run catch- up classes for children who have missed out on their education.
Meanwhile West African states are preparing to send in troops to support the Malian army in their efforts to regain control of the northern territories.
Catastrophic year
Cath Candish, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Mali, said, ‘After a catastrophic year, Mali now stands on the brink of war - we are now focusing our efforts on assisting those worst affected, including displaced families and their host communities.’
Malians have also fled into neighbouring countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.
Fatima Almazuke, who is in a refugee camp in Bobo, Burkina Faso, said, ‘The most difficult thing is leaving your house, friends and relatives in a hurry. We’re living in tents and conditions aren’t good.’
Fatima is being supported by Tearfund partner Alliance Chrétien pour la Coopération Economique et le Développement Social (ACCEDES) which has been distributing food to refugees.