Niger: refugees add to crisis
Conflict and political instability in Mali is adding to the food crisis that is engulfing the region.
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On 22 March, a group of Malian soldiers overthrew the President in a military coup, in protest over the way he was handling the rebellion in the north of the country. We are concerned that the coup may add pressure to a region facing a severe food crisis.
200,000 people have already been displaced by fighting between government and rebel forces in Mali, and more than 25,000 people have fled into neighbouring Niger since mid-January. Many are now living in villages in a near-desert region in the west of Niger, where there were already severe food and water shortages.
CAFOD’s Michel Monginda Mondengele, who manages our Niger office, led an emergency response team to two villages close to the border. He said:
“Conditions were very, very bad. It was the worst situation I’ve seen in Niger. Most people were living in the open air, with no shelter, exposed to the sandy wind blowing around. They are on the edge of a desert: there are no trees, no shrubs, nothing around that they can use to help them build shelter.
“The new arrivals couldn’t bring much with them. They had to leave their villages in Mali in a hurry. As soon as the Malian army left their area, they knew they had to move out. Some have a few clothes, a few have cooking pots, but very little else. The lucky ones have built shelters out of sheets – but there is nothing inside those shelters.
Delivering supplies
“The population of Sinegodar village has increased from around 1,400 to more than 8,000 people. With five times as many people as normal, the needs are overwhelming. There is a desperate need for food, water, medicine and basic goods like pots, pans and blankets.
“It’s very difficult to reach these remote villages, but we are working with our partner CADEV to deliver emergency supplies, including bed-sheets, tents, buckets, jerrycans and soap.
Solidarity
“Despite all the problems, there is a real sense of solidarity between the villagers and the new arrivals. The villagers are giving them food and sharing cooking pots. But the mood among the refugees is one of great sadness. They said that if there was peace at home, they wouldn’t have to sleep outside. Parents were worried about their children: their kids are out of school.
“One lady told us that she had tried to go back to her village to collect a few things the day after everyone fled. She discovered that her house had already been ransacked. No-one knows when they’ll be able to go home.”
We are working with CADEV to deliver aid to the refugees and the villages that are hosting them – and we are continuing to scale up our response to the food crisis that is engulfing the region.
Please keep the people of Mali and Niger in your thoughts and prayers.
