Nearly a thousand migrants from various West African countries pass through Tin Zaouatène every month. The small, remote town is situated in the desert, in the northernmost part of Mali on the border with Algeria, over 600 km from Gao and 1,800 km from Bamako.

As soon as migrants arrive in Tin Zaouatène, they are taken care of by the Mali Red Cross, which gives them meals, helps find accommodation and provides basic medical attention. The most vulnerable among them will be taken to Gao, if they so desire, via Kidal, where they will have the possibility to call their families. In Gao, they are placed in the care of a reception facility run by associations representing migrants.

"The migrants come up against various problems that make them very vulnerable," said Sylvain Corderoy, the head of the ICRC office in Gao. "Most have suffered a lot, physically and mentally, and some are stranded here without the resources needed for survival."

This project reflects the determination of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to provide impartial humanitarian services to migrants in need, regardless of their status. The ICRC, which is active in northern Mali, an area beset by violence, is contributing its expertise in restoring family links.

The project is part of a series of initiatives taken by the ICRC and the Mali Red Cross to bring aid to vulnerable people in the north of the country. Last month, for example, the ICRC and the Mali Red Cross gave food aid to 450 families in the Abeïbara area of Kidal who had fled their homes during armed clashes in 2008 but later returned. Over 12,000 people have received emergency aid in northern Mali over the past 18 months.