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UN PhotoUNHCR / REFUGEES SAHEL CRISIS
STORY: UNHCR / REFUGEES SAHEL CRISIS
TRT: 05:28
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / PEUL / NATS
DATELINE: 17-18-19 MARCH 2024, MOPTI, MALI
19 MARCH 2024, SOCOURA IDP SITE, MOPTI, MALI
1. Various shots, Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection and colleagues walking at Socoura Internally Displaced People (IDP) Site
2. Wide shot, Menikdiwela, meeting leaders representing internally displaced people
3. Close up, men looking on
4. Med shot, Menikdiwela using megaphone
5. Wide shot, meeting
6. Med shot, delegation entering a shelter to meet with women.
7. Various shots, Menikdiwela in meeting with displaced women
8. Wide shot, displaced women
9. Close up, Menikdiwela seated near colleagues
10. Med shot, women in meeting
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection:
“So I've just been visiting an IDP site where there's some over 200 families here. They've been here since 2019. I've been talking to the men, to the women, and to some of the children at play. The main thing from them is pretty clear. They want access to education for their children. They want some form of income, and they definitely want a solution to their situation. And we are here to work with the government and with all our partners to try and find that solution for them.”
17 MARCH 2024, SOCOURA IDP SITE, MALI
12. Wide shot, Fatoumata Mamoudou Barry, Displaced Malian preparing doughnut batter
13. Close up, Fatoumata frying doughnuts
14. SOUDNBITE (Peul) Fatoumata Mamoudou Barry, Displaced Malian:
“One Friday after prayers, armed men surrounded my village and shot anyone who tried to enter or leave. That is what happened.”
18 MARCH 2024, MOPTI, MALI
15. Med shot, Hadjaratou Maiga, Burkinabe refugee washing dishes
16. Close up, Hadjaratou’s face
17. Various shots, Hadjaratou rinsing dishes and taking them into house
18. SOUNDBITE (Peul) Hadjaratou Maiga, Burkinabe refugee:
“Armed men arrived at around 11am and attacked the village. We were lucky because we had already fled the village to hide elsewhere. My immediate family was not harmed, but they killed three of my brother's wives and many other people. We stayed in hiding until 6pm before leaving for another village, and it was from there that we came here (Mopti).”
19. Various shots, Hadjaratou and her friends
UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Ruven Menikdiwela, calls for urgent international support to help avert a humanitarian crisis in Mali and the Sahel
In the face of escalating conflict and displacement in Mali, UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Ruven Menikdiwela, has called for immediate international support to avert a looming humanitarian and protection crisis that threatens not only Mali, but also its Sahel neighbours.
During a recent visit to Mali, Menikdiwela noted the stark realities faced by refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and stateless individuals, emphasizing the need for enhanced solidarity and assistance.
Mali, a country demonstrating remarkable resilience despite its own turmoil, hosts over 66,500 refugees while grappling with 354,000 IDPs, highlighting the significant challenge of forced displacement across borders and within its territory. Recent movements across the Sahel underscore the fluidity and complexity of the crisis, with families fleeing violence and persecution, seeking safety and dignity under increasingly strained conditions.
Menikdiwela witnessed the dire conditions at borders and in camps, with the risk of gender-based violence escalating amidst the crisis.
Fatoumata Mamoudou Barry, recently fled fighting at her home in Bandiagara, central Mali. She now lives at the Socoura IDP site in Mopti with her family.
When her brother and three neignbours were killed by armed men in December, Hadjaratou Maiga, fled Burkina Faso with her mother and children. The family hid in the bush for five days before crossing the border to find safety in Mali.
Menikdiwela appreciated the generosity of Mali and its neighbours, keeping their borders open and upholding asylum principles in a fragile region, but expressed fear that such open-door policies may become increasingly rare without sustained international support.
UNHCR urgently requires over $74.2 million to meet the displaced populations' needs. Currently, this appeal faces a significant funding gap, threatening the continuity of vital services.
