2012-02-28 11:35:13

Averting a humanitarian crisis in Mali and Niger


The International Committee of the Red Cross is stepping up its efforts to bring aid to some 700 thousand people in Mali and Niger and help avert a major humanitarian crisis.
The ICRC says that the people in both countries are facing a twofold crisis; the food insecurity that has afflicted the entire region and the fighting in the north of Mali that is driving massive displacement.

The armed confrontations that have occurred in northern Mali in recent weeks have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in utter destitution and to seek refuge in other areas within Mali.
Those who have fled to Niger are concentrated in the northern Tillabéry region, one of the areas hardest hit by the food crisis and the scene of recent inter-community violence.
We spoke to ICRC spokesperson for Mali and Niger Germain Mwehu who says that their priority is getting access to the people to need help.
He says, “We have to have access to the victims and get the guarantees of security from all parties.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is appealing for 10 million euro in order to bring aid to those affected. Listen to Lydia O'Kane's interview RealAudioMP3








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