Office of the Spokesperson
Department of State
Washington, DC
April 17, 2016
Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall announced in Mali nearly $29 million in new humanitarian assistance to benefit Malians uprooted by the conflict that broke out there in 2012. Peace agreements are in place; however, 145,000 Malian refugees remain in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger as well as more than 52,000 internally displaced Malians. This funding will support the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Program (WFP), and other international organizations in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger to provide essential protection and assistance, such as health, food, water, livelihoods, and education.
This new funding brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for the Mali regional crisis in FY 2015 and FY 2016 to more than $105 million.
Funding announced today will allow UNHCR to scale up livelihoods and resilience-based interventions, increase collaboration with partners to enhance peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities, and harmonize programming to ensure the viability and continuity of self-reliance efforts between countries of asylum and areas of return. It will also support WFP efforts to maintain food and nutrition activities for Malian refugees in the region.
The United States is hopeful that conditions will soon improve such that all are able to voluntarily return to their homes in safety and dignity. Until then, the U.S. commends host communities in Mali and host countries in the region for remaining safe havens for the displaced.
The United States encourages other donors to join us in contributing to the Humanitarian Response Plan, which is only 12% funded to date in 2016. This is inadequate to meet even the most basic needs of displaced Malians.
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