Niger / Mali: ICRC scales up operations

26-10-2012 Feature

At the end of his three-day visit to Mali and Niger, ICRC president Peter Maurer warned that military deployments and renewed hostilities in the region would inevitably have humanitarian consequences for the population. Mr Maurer said that "food, water and medicine…are needed in big quantities,” adding that the ICRC has asked the donor community for additional funds to support its operations in Mali and the Sahel region.

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By the end of 2012, the ICRC will have:

  • provided food for 360,000 people in northern Mali and 60,000 displaced people in Mopti;
  • provided seed to grow food;
  • bought livestock from 15,000 people, enabling them to buy urgently-needed items;
  • delivered medicine and other supplies to health facilities, including Gao Hospital;
  • provided fuel for the pumps that supply water to 60,000 in Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu;
  • provided emergency aid for the injured, displaced persons and refugees in Niger;
  • visited detainees to make sure that they are treated according to the laws intended to protect them.

The Red Cross is one of the few humanitarian organizations operating in the areas controlled by armed groups.

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