Conflict Fuels Poverty in Mali
Over the past year, Mali has been experiencing ongoing-armed conflict in its northern regions, threatening to reverse the progress made in the fight against poverty. In the last decade, poverty in Mali at the national level has been reduced from 56% in 2001, to 43% in 2010. Mali was regarded as a model of African democracy until the military seized power in March 2012. Taureg rebels declared the independence of the ‘Azawad state’ in the north, which was quickly taken over by al-Qaeda allies.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 400,000 people have been displaced, of which over 200,000 are internally displaced and over 145,000 have been forced to take refuge in neighboring countries. The influx of these refugees into these host communities has put further strain on the already fragile countries. However, the food crisis in northern Mali is preventing many refugees from returning to their homes.
Agriculture is the major contributor to economic growth in Mali. It is dominated, however, by rain-fed agriculture, and therefore vulnerable to environmental and climate changes such as drought, floods, and desert locust invasions. The conflict in Mali came on top of a drought, which hit the Sahel region of Africa last year for the third time in a decade. Food security and nutrition have deteriorated significantly resulting in hunger for hundreds of thousands of people.
The violence in the conflict region makes it difficult for assistance to reach those in need. One in five households faces extreme shortages in northern regions with food consumption deteriorating significantly. Even before the crisis, around 15% of children in Mali suffered from acute malnutrition, a problem that has been worsened by these recent events. About 69% of Mali’s population lives below the national poverty line, so most must face extreme food shortages from an already difficult position.
Malian authorities are working to resolve the conflict with the Taureg rebels to end the crisis engulfing the nation. The UN Refugee Agency warned that increased international aid is “vital to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation across the Sahel region.” There is agreement among most humanitarian organizations in Mali that the humanitarian situation is at crisis point and deteriorating. Despite the scale of needs and the seriousness of the situation, the humanitarian response remains largely underfunded. The most urgent needs are food, shelter, clean water, health and education.
– Ali Warlich
