BAMAKO, Mali
More than three million Malians suffer from food insecurity as a result of the political and security crisis in the northern part of the country, the UN said Wednesday on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day.
Mbaranga Gasarabwe, coordinator of the UN humanitarian action in Mali, told the press that “more than 715,000 children are at risk of acute malnutrition” nationwide.
Mali is a Sahelian country whose food security is threatened all the time by the delay and lack of rain. The northern region is especially at risk.
“Most of the three million Malians threatened by food insecurity live in the north,” Moussa Ouattara, a Malian government advisor, said. “In addition to the desert aspect of the northern region, there is an armed conflict that weakens the economy of the people and is exposing them to hunger.”
In 2012, violence erupted following a failed coup attempt and a Tuareg rebellion that allowed al-Qaeda-linked militants to take over the northern half of the country.
In early 2013, former colonial power France sent troops to the African country and –with the help of Chadian and other African forces – flushed the militants from Mali’s main northern cities.
Nevertheless, recent months have continued to see attacks on UN peacekeepers and Malian army personnel.
On Tuesday, the UN peacekeeping force in Mali established a safety zone, 20 km around the northern town of Kidal to protect the local population.
The move came after fierce fighting broke out between pro-government militiamen and Tuareg rebel groups, leaving dozens dead.
