UN: Fighting in Mali displaces over 200,000 since January

By BNO News

5 April 2012

NEW YORK—The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Wednesday called on all parties in Mali to allow access to aid organizations in order to provide assistance to the hundreds of thousands of civilians who are in need of help.

Renegade soldiers took control of Mali late last month when they attacked the presidential palace, state television and military barracks in the capital Bamako. Within hours, the soldiers, led by Captain Amadou Sanogo, declared they had overthrown the government of President Amadou Toumani Touré, forcing him into hiding.

The coup d’état followed weeks of protests at the government’s handling of a nomad-led rebellion by Tuareg rebels in the country’s north, forcing more than 200,000 people to flee their homes. The renegade soldiers had demanded more weapons and resources for their campaign against the rebels and they were dissatisfied with what they perceived as a lack of government support for the army.

A majority of the more than 200,000 people have fled to seek safety in neighboring countries, but some 93,000 people are believed to be internally displaced and in need of help.

U.S. Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs, Ambassador Jeffrey De Laurentis, spoke at the UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, calling on all parties involved to allow timely, safe and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to civilians in need.

The UN Security Council also called for ’an increased mobilization’ of the international community to support humanitarian efforts in the country while commending the efforts of the humanitarian organizations involved. Members of the 15-member body also reiterated their earlier condemnation of the seizure of power, as well as their call for the immediate restoration of constitutional rule and the democratically-elected government.

The Council expects the mutineers to take immediate steps to effectively implement this commitment and will follow developments closely, the members said in a statement. The renegade soldiers, who formed the National Committee for the Restoration of Democracy and State, closed the country’s border following the coup.

The 15-member body also said it is alarmed by the presence of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in the region, noting that the group could further destabilize the security situation in the country. The group of countries also reaffirmed the need to uphold Mali’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Earlier this week, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urged warring parties to safeguard world heritage site Timbuktu after reports that rebels had entered the site. Mali has three other world heritage sites beside Timbuktu: the Old Towns of Djenne, the Cliff of Bandiagara (Land of the Dogons) and the Tomb of Askia.

http://wireupdate.com/un-fighting-in-mali-displaces-over-200000-since-january.html

Country Statistics from IDMC (5 April 2012):

Latest IDP figure:

At least 93,433

Number of refugees:

(Originating from the country)

3,663 (UNHCR, January 2011)

Total Population:

15.8 million (UNFPA)

Mali: As rebels seize control of Northern Mali, IDPs face grave risks (4 April 2012)

Between March 30th and April 1st, Tuareg fighters of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) seized the capitals of Azawad, Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu. Rebel forces were reportedly moving further south towards Mopti, where hundreds of people were seen fleeing the town. There is also increasing concern for some 95,000 IDPs currently dispersed in northern Mali. Of these, it is estimated that 38 percent are sheltering in Timbuktu, 32 percent in Gao and 30 percent in Kidal. In addition, Tuareg IDPs who fled to southern parts of the country are at risk of suffering reprisal attacks by those hostile to the rebellion.This conflict follows the overthrow of President Amadou Toumani Touré on 21 March by Malian soldiers who accused him of limiting their means of addressing the Tuareg rebellion in the north. Since then, Mali has been increasingly isolated; it has been suspended from ECOWAS and the African Union, and several governments have suspended financial aid.Humanitarian organizations are increasingly worried that both of these recent events will further complicate access to IDPs, and gravely worsen their situation in a region already suffering severe shortages of food, water and medical assistance.

http://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/mali

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