The European Commission warns of possible humanitarian disaster in Mali unless there is rapid progress in the coming days to open the humanitarian space and allow in supplies of food and medicines specially in the north of the country. The Commission has thus decided to give €9 million to respond to these new humanitarian needs.

Kristalina Georgieva, the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response warned of a possible humanitarian disaster in northern Mali unless in the coming days the humanitarian space is opened. The European Commission decided to give an additional €9 million to respond to the new humanitarian needs in northern Mali, but fighting and insecurity are hindering aid delivery to those most in need.

Hundreds of thousands of people either within northern Mali (the estimated number of internally displaced persons exceeds 100,000) or over the borders in neighbouring states have been displaced because of violence. Commissioner Georgieva highlighted that many among the displaced were already on the edge of survival due to the Sahel food crisis. She fears that the recent violence will exacerbate further the food emergency both in northern Mali and in neighbouring countries where refugees are flowing to areas of acute food insecurity. This is why the Commission is stepping up the humanitarian aid to those forced to flee the conflict.

This €9 million of funding comes on top of the over €280 million which the Commission has mobilised to address the food crisis that is affecting eight countries of the West Africa region. Mali is one of the worst-affected with 1.4 million people now in need of emergency food assistance.