Voice of America
26 Jan 2023, 04:05 GMT+10
Geneva - The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, warns the departure of European forces from Mali has created a dangerous vacuum in the country.
The European forces completed their withdrawal from Mali in November, ending a 14-year effort to keep the country safe from militant Islamist groups.
UNHCR Representative in Mali Mohamed Toure says that effort failed.
Speaking from the town of Mopti, he says he has just returned from a long visit to the northern part of Mali to assess the condition and needs of those displaced by the escalating violence and threats of armed groups.
French Forces Complete Departure From Mali
Toure says the impact of the vacuum created by the departure of Barkhane, the counter-insurgency operation led by France and European troops from the region, is very severe.
"In this vacuum right now, we do not have any state authorities in that region, so it really left in the hands of armed groups, terrorist armed groups that are really spreading terror, spreading killings, spreading rapes, creating misery," he said.
He says this has triggered mass displacement in the region. He underscores violence and threats by armed groups in the village of N'Tillit have forced more than 3,700 local Malians and refugees from Burkina Faso to flee to the city of Gao for safety.
Violence Soars in Mali in The Year After Russians Arrive
He says the displaced are "living under trees and makeshift shelters with little food and water." He notes pregnant and nursing mothers, the elderly, the disabled, and separated children urgently need health care.
He says the needs of Mali's forcibly displaced are great, but the response of the international community to their plight has been tepid.
"Unfortunately, this [is] kind of Mali fatigue, if I can call it that way, and we are really seeing that kind of diminishing drastically of the assistance provided to IDP's and refugees. We are talking about almost half a million of people who are in the need of assistance in terms of displacement," he said.
Civilians Flee as Jihadis Advance in Northeast Mali
Toure says the UNHCR cares for nearly 3 million people in Mali, including the displaced, who need protection and humanitarian assistance. Regrettably, he says only 38% of last year's appeal for $66.4 million has been met. He urges the international community to show greater compassion and generosity and not allow Mali to become a forgotten crisis.
Get a daily dose of Paris Guardian news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Paris Guardian.
More InformationRescue teams in Turkey and Syria continue the search for survivors of the catastrophic earthquake that hit the region on ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The Biden administration has indicated that it could end federal protection for grizzly bears in the northern Rocky ...
MANILA, Philippines: The Philippines has granted the United States four more locations to open military bases, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd ...
WASHINGTON, DC - The global community has extended aid to Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquakes that hit the ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: US lawmakers have called on the Department of Energy to release documents detailing attempts by Russian hackers to ...
Photo credit: Ercin Erturk / Anadolu AgencyThe death toll from Monday's massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey and Syria has ...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: In a tweet this weekend, Elon Musk said that SpaceX may attempt a Starship rocket system launch ...
LONDON, England: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has reported that new car registrations in the UK rose for ...
TAIPEI, Taiwan: After the end of COVID-19 disruptions in China, Taiwan's Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics maker and major ...
NEW YORK, New York - Stocks ended sharply higher on Tuesday following mixed comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.Powell ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the US Federal Trade Commission is preparing ...
VEVEY, Switzerland: In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung this week, Nestle's Chief Executive Mark Schneider said the world's largest ...