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