The Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at UNHCR, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, commended Mali and its neighboring nations for keeping their borders open to those fleeing danger throughout the region and upholding asylum principles. However, she also warned that only a fraction of the funds the region needs were covered.
Praising Mali in particular for its generosity shown towards refugees, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at UNHCR, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, concluded a week-long visit to Mali and Togo, while warning that the Sahel region remains in dire need of aid.
Mali is among several countries providing a safe haven to over 1.1 million refugees and asylum seekers who have crossed international borders to escape wars, persecution, and other perils across the Sahel as well as other areas of Africa.
In total, nearly 4.8 million people in the Sahel have recently been forced to flee their homes to seek safety elsewhere, the UN agency said.
Praise for Mali’s approach
In particular, Menikdiwela highlighted the fact that Mali offers refugees, once registered, the same rights as Malian citizens — including access to vital services such as healthcare and education.
She cautioned, however, that such humane responses could become increasingly scarce in the region without immediate and sustained international support.
Menikdiwela emphasized that Mali and other countries in the Sahel region of Africa were under an extreme amount of strain due to forced displacement, requiring immediate and additional support to prevent an already worsening humanitarian crisis.
“The risks in Mali and neighboring countries, many of which are facing their own displacement crises, are alarming,” stated Menikdiwela. “We must act now to ensure the safety and well-being of people on the run, preserving their rights and dignity in these challenging times,” she added, stressing also a significant uptick in gender-based violence.
Only 16% of funding secured
Mali currently hosts about 66,793 refugees while grappling with the urgent needs of over 354,000 internally displaced persons within its borders. There has been a significant influx of 40,000 people from Burkina Faso alone in the last three months, fleeing turmoil and instability in their country.
Alongside multiple conflicts, rising prices, and diminishing humanitarian aid, the effects of climate change are also adding severe additional strains to the region.
In 2024, UNHCR said it will need $331.4 million in total to support its operations in the central Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger) alone and to address the urgent needs of displaced populations there.
However, by the end of February, these needs were only funded at 16%, putting the continuity of vital services at risk.
Tags: UNHCR urgent aid needed prevent deepening Sahel crisis
