Mali: Alarming Consequences of Aid Cuts As Crisis Spreads South

11 December 2025
Norwegian Refugee Council (Oslo)

A poisonous cocktail of escalating conflict, blockades, increased displacement, and humanitarian funding cuts is pushing people in Mali to the brink. Families are cutting back on meals, and many children are unable to attend school, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

For years, the epicentre of the crisis in Mali has been in the north and centre of the country. But in the last quarter of 2025, armed incursions have shifted to the south, extending the scope of human suffering.

In September, armed groups launched a fuel blockade against Mali's capital Bamako, attacking fuel tankers, and targeting villages in the south of the country. The fuel blockade precipitated an unprecedented fuel scarcity in the south and centre of the country and exacerbated the socio-economic and humanitarian situation.

"It is deeply worrying to see the conflict spread to the south, an area known as the food basket of the country. The end of the year is usually the start of agricultural harvests. People being displaced and unable to manage their fields is a precursor for food insecurity," said Maclean Natugasha, NRC's country director for Mali.

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At the same time, the country has been hit by severe cuts in funding for humanitarian assistance. The humanitarian response plan for Mali is just 18 percent funded - making it the lowest funded response in Africa. The total funding available has been slashed in half, from 285 million US dollars in 2024 to 141 million US dollars so far this year.

"The impact of the funding cuts for the whole humanitarian sector is painfully visible in Mali," said Natugasha. "Field offices have closed and messages have been sent by humanitarian organisations to communities and authorities in the places where they had to exit. Health facilities are reducing their services, and we have received reports of protection concerns as some girls and women are forced to adopt extreme coping mechanisms like sex work in some displacement sites."

NRC is particularly concerned about the impact of the aid cuts on children. As of end of October, more than 2,000 schools in the conflict-affected regions remain closed, impacting the prospects of almost 700,000 children and 14,000 teachers.

"It is essential to provide education for these children, both for their psychosocial health today, but also to give them hope for a brighter future. However, the education sector has been particularly hard hit by this year's funding cuts," Natugasha added.

For people in Mali, the situation has left many with a feeling of being abandoned.

"People came to our village and destroyed everything, our homes, our granaries, our belongings," said Djenaba, a woman from the village of Saré-Ma, in the Mopti region. "They took our animals and killed people. They ordered us to leave the village. We left with nothing. We found refuge here. When we arrived, the host community helped us with some clothing and shoes. We are still hoping to receive more support."

"There is a need for a revamp of international solidarity with people facing crisis. Mali is on the brink. Donors must step up and provide both urgent and long-term funding to help communities survive today and rebuild their future," said Natugasha.

Note to editors:

  • The number of internally displaced people in Mali has increased from 354,739 at start of 2024, ending the year with 402,167 internally displaced persons (IOM).
  • By 31 October 2025, the number of refugees in Mali had increased to 167,000, representing a more than 20 per cent increase from the end of 2024 figure (UNHCR).
  • The humanitarian needs and response plan for 2025 is only 18 per cent covered: Of the 771.3 million US dollars requested by the humanitarian community at the beginning of the year to meet the needs of 6.4 million people in need, only 141 million US dollars have been received. This is the lowest funded humanitarian appeal in Africa and second lowest in the world (after Honduras). It is also a sharp reduction from last year, when 285 million US dollars were provided for support towards the humanitarian response plan (OCHA financial tracking service).
  • As of end of October 2025, 2,320 schools in the conflict-affected regions of Mali remain closed, impacting the prospects of 696,000 children and 13,920 teachers (Education Cluster).
  • Mali has been on NRC's list of the 10 most neglected crises since 2018. Coming in 5th position in 2024, Mali's ranking was precipitated by the absent media coverage of the humanitarian situation, poor funding coverage and absent political will from the international community through humanitarian diplomacy to find a lasting solution to the crisis (NRC's neglected displacement crises report).
  • NRC has been operational in Mali since 2013, supporting education and livelihood activities, providing water and sanitation facilities to improve access to potable water and proper sanitation infrastructure, constructing emergency and transitional shelters for displaced families, supporting children to access birth certificates and providing legal assistance on housing, land and property rights.
  • NRC also leads the rapid response mechanism in Mali, to deliver assistance to newly displaced households within the first 15 days of their displacement.

Read the original article on Norwegian Refugee Council.

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