BAMAKO [ACTED News] – Since the beginning of the conflicts in Northern Mali, some 202,600 people have fled their villages to find refuge in neighboring countries Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger. Some 155,000 are currently displaced within the country, notably in the South and in capital city Bamako.

Since April, ACTED has mobilized to meet these vulnerable Bamako families’ needs for emergency relief. In mid-July, ACTED could begin distributing food aid in three communes of the Bamako suburbs, in order to alleviate the food and economic insecurity of the displaced and host families.

An additional 1,325 metric tons of food should be distributed to 12,000 beneficiaries in the next six months. ACTED will also continue to assist the displaced and host families in Bamako through essential non food item kits, and unconditional cash transfers.

In a capital city already affected by a nationwide context of political instability, internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been hosted by local families. Due to the lack of a major refugee camp in Bamako, IDPs have received no external aid in the last few months. This has caused an additional strain on host families’ resources. ACTED’s project is made possible with support from the World Food Programme and local authorities.