Crisis in Mali

Armed conflict in Mali has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. Oxfam is providing humanitarian assistance and pushing for long-term solutions. Your help is needed.

The situation

Mali continues to be simultaneously hit by the impact of the conflict in the north and the consequences of the food crisis of 2012, a response which was disrupted by the political and security situation.

While humanitarian access remains restricted in the north due to a volatile security environment, the needs are great for communities affected for over a year by this crisis that is likely to worsen in the coming months. A panel of food security experts just announced that northern Mali is in a situation of food crisis, and will go to ‘emergency’ in less than two months if access to populations doesn’t improve and food assistance is not increased.

The movement of population is continuing, with a current estimate of the number of internally displaced persons at more than 300,000 and 175,000 Malian refugees in neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger.

Presently, the combination of insecurity and food crisis in northern Mali is preventing the return of many displaced persons and refugees.

Despite the scale of needs and the urgency of the situation, the humanitarian response remains largely underfunded, and Oxfam has only secured a quarter of the funds necessary to meet the basic needs in food security and livelihoods, water and sanitation and protection.

What Oxfam is doing

Oxfam is providing humanitarian assistance to those displaced by the conflict. We aim to reach at least 98,000 people with emergency aid. We've had to scale back our ambition (to reach over 200,000 people) due to lack of funding.

Although access to those in need within Mali has been limited, in the last few months we have provided about 70,000 people in Bourem and Amderaboukane in the Gao region in the North with food, and water and sanitation aid. 

We will also assist the most vulnerable of both displaced and host communities in the Niono and Diabaly areas, in Central Mali, which so far have received only limited humanitarian aid. This will include livelihood reconstruction, food, water provision, hygiene promotion, latrine construction, the distribution of hygiene kits that include soap and water containers, and gender-based violence (GBV) sensitization.

Oxfam has assisted over 150,000 Malian refugees and host communities in neighboring Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger with food, water and sanitation provisions, health and hygiene promotion, hygiene kits, and the construction of classrooms.

In Burkina Faso, Oxfam is leading the water and sanitation response in the two official refugee camps located in the provinces of the Sahel (Mentao and Godebou).

We need your help to meet these immediate needs – and to support the long-term needs of refugee, displaced and host families in recovery.

Updated: May 2013

Donate

We are calling on the public to help fund our emergency response in Mali. Any donation, no matter how small, will help us help those in need. These Oxfam affiliates are running direct appeals:

• Intermon Oxfam (Spain)
• Oxfam America
• Oxfam Quebec

Alternatively, you can make a donation to the general emergency fund of your nearest national Oxfam affiliate. Your money will be used to fund our emergency work worldwide, which includes responding in countries such as Mali.

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Oxfam assessment of humanitarian needs in central Mali, February 2013