Central Mali Civilians in Eye of Storm
Central Mali is now the deadliest region in the country for civilians, as violence has intensified considerably over the past three years. The population finds itself trapped between armed groups, self-defence groups and even national or international security forces, as well as local inter-communal conflicts. Aware of these rivalries, the armed groups have exploited certain communities to pit them against each other. Doctors Without Borders has said that this has caused constant violence against civilians, where indiscriminate attacks on entire villages are common.
This woman and her child are displaced and travelled to MSF’s clinic in the Bandiagara Circle, Mali. Many children who are not able to live in their homes in the region because of ongoing violence suffer from malnutrition and malaria.
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West Africa: Malian Refugees Return to Burkina Faso Camp Nine Months After Violent Attacks
UN News, 21 December 2020
Scores of Malian refugees in Burkina Faso have returned to a camp in the northeast of the country nine months after armed attacks and threats forced them to flee to a neighbouring… Read more »
InFocus
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Violence in the areas to the south and east of Mopti is taking on an increasingly ethnic dimension. The transitional authorities should harmonise dialogue initiatives and strengthen state presence, while seeking to resolve substantial issues such as land disputes. As violence takes on a communal character, civilians, men and women of all ages, are more frequently targeted based on their ethnicity alone. The presence of the state is dangerously waning, with jihadists and armed self-defence groups
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InFocus
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The United Nations says that more children have been trafficked, forced to work in gold mines and to fight as soldiers in Mali this year as conflict worsened and Covid-19 shut schools. A network of humanitarian agencies led by the UN Refugee Agency documented 230 cases of child recruitment by armed groups in the first half of 2020, compared to 215 cases in all of 2019. The agencies also found about 6,000 children, mostly boys, working in eight gold mining sites, after 24 children bound for the mines
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