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Malian Refugee Crisis

Alex Charnov, Zoe Walker, & Alex Sams

Background

"On January 17 [2012], the Tuareg rebellion broke out again in northeastern Mali. This revolt was triggered by fighters of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), from the deposed regime of Muammar Gaddafi. They returned to Mali very heavily armed. This movement, which is demanding political autonomy for a territory called the Azawad—the northern part of the current Mali—has had a series of military successes against the Malian army. Two months later, on March 22, the rebels indirectly caused a coup in Mali. On April 6, the MNLA proclaimed the independence of the State of Azawad. This “unilateral” proclamation has been rejected by the international community. But the Tuareg movement says the move offers a definitive solution to the problems of the inhabitants of this vast region.

 

The conflict between northern and southern Mali has gone on since the country’s independence in 1960, with a first revolt in 1963 followed by uprisings in 1990 and 2006. In 2012, the conflict reached proportions that produced quite disturbing humanitarian consequences. Indeed, clashes between rebels and the army led to the exile of 210,000 people—both as internally displaced persons and as refugees in neighboring countries. In the last three months about 70,000 have arrived in Mauritania. As in 1990, they are women, children, and men who have left everything behind to flee.”

 

-Intagrist El Ansari, The Mali Refugee Crisis in Mauritania: An Interview with OAEMSD (5).

 

For more information on the historical and cultural context of the conflict, refer to the following:

  • UNHCR Country Operations Profile - Mali: this overview provides a brief overview of the crisis, as well as the UNHCR’S means of responding to the crisis.

http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e484e66.html

 

  • The Washington Post, “Mali is About to Have a Refugee Crisis”, 19 january 2013: this article shows the American news coverage at the time that the crisis was at its peak.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/01/19/mali-is-about-to-have-a-refugee-crisis/

 

  • The Guardian, “Mali Conflict Sparks Fears of Humanitarian Crisis”, 18 January 2013: this article serves as a sample of the European news coverage of the crisis during the peak of the crisis.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/18/mali-conflict-fears-humanitarian-crisis

 

 

 

 

Books

Water & Agriculture

Mali grapples with direct impacts of climate change such as intense desertification from inadequate and infrequent rainfall. Drought conditions are prompted and exacerbated by such conditions. This leads to a drop in agricultural productivity and reduced grazing potential for livestock. Reports indicate that roughly 3.5 million people in Mali face food insecurity. 

“'Everything is running out here—water, electricity, food, medicine,' Noumoussa Traoré, who works with an agricultural producers’ association in Gao, told OCHA’s humanitarian reporting service IRIN. 'We are stuck here. We cannot leave because there is no way out.'” (1)

Internally and externally displaced refugees recieve little humanitarian assistance. Refugees face serious problems due to the food, water, and nutrition problems in the region.The problems plague the entire Sahel region. Malian refugees that have fled to neighboring countries are not able to escape the pervasive problems. For example, Malian refugees that have fled to Niger have been sharing resources with the locals, but there are major problems accessing clean water, toilet, and washing facilities.

“'The village only has two wells and a water-pumped trough where the animals usually drink,' Abdoulaye explains. 'The women can wait up to 2 hours to get water, and it’s not even clean. Where the refugees are, there are no latrines, no showers, no system for getting rid of waste. Several refugees have told me that they haven’t washed since they arrived.'" (2)

The problems feed into one another, as the environmental, political, economic, and social landscapes are inextricably connected. For example, the refugee crisis and the food and water shortages crystallize to intensify the food crisis. Political instability severely disrupts trade routes, as many of the key traders are refugees.

"'Many children will pass from moderate to severe malnutrition in the next few weeks,' said the Head of Médecins Sans Frontières in Mali, Johanne Sekkenes." (1)

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