Since Mali became independent in 1960, violent clashes have occasionally erupted in the northern part of the country between the regular armed forces and Tuareg rebels. Following the latest skirmishes in 2007 and 2008, the ICRC:

• delivered aid to nearly 600 displaced families and 300 vulnerable migrants near Tinzaouatène, on the border with Algeria, in cooperation with the Mali Red Cross;
• took seriously wounded Mali armed forces personnel to hospital, in its capacity as a neutral intermediary;
• visited military and police personnel held captive by Tuareg rebels.

Because of mounting tension in Mali and Niger, the ICRC has set up a mission in the Sahel under the responsibility of its delegation in Dakar, Senegal. The task of the three expatriates and 20 local employees working in offices in Bamako, Mali, and in Niamey and Agadex, Niger, is to develop the ICRC’s traditional assistance and protection activities in both countries.

The ICRC has been working in Mali without interruption since the coup d’état of 26 March 1991.