Bamako – From 5 July to 31 August 2023, more than 3,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and members of host communities received shelter kits and non-food items in the Mopti, Bandiagara and Douentza regions of Mali, during a distribution operation conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Mali’s National Directorate for Social Development (Direction nationale du développement social – DNDS), with the support of the Government of Japan.

A total of 793 households of populations displaced by the crisis in the central and northern regions of Mali, as well as members of communities hosting them, received donations designed to mitigate their vulnerability.

“We received cooking utensils, sleeping equipment and insecticides against mosquito bites. We were provided with the essentials we needed. When we arrived at this site, we had nothing,” explained Sadio Oumar TRAORE, one of the IDPs who received non-food items in Sokouro in the Mopti region.

In addition to non-food items, emergency shelter equipment was provided to people in need at 10 different sites. A total of 144 non-food item kits and 662 emergency shelter kits were distributed as part of the project entitled “Responding to the needs of internally displaced persons in northern and central Mali” (Réponse aux besoins des personnes déplacées internes au nord et au centre du Mali).

The project also includes the provision of sanitation and WASH services at IDP reception sites in the Gao region, hygiene promotion as well as capacity building for site coordination.

“Through this support for internally displaced persons and host populations, IOM and its partners contribute to mitigating vulnerability. Considering the multiplicity of crises around the world, it is important to develop interventions that have a real impact on the ground, such as this project that IOM is implementing with the support of the Government of Japan and strong engagement of the National Directorate for Social Development,” said Pascal REYNTJENS, IOM Chief of Mission in Mali.

On 25 August 2023, during a morning discussion session in Bamako, the project stakeholders assessed the scope of this humanitarian action, in the presence of the Japanese Ambassador.

“Despite the enormous efforts made over more than a decade by the Malian Government and its various partners, the security and humanitarian situation still raises concerns, especially in the central and northern regions of the country. To support these efforts, Japan has provided funding from its top-up budget every year since 2013 for various projects prepared by international organisations, including the one whose implementation brings us together today. The aim is to support the Malian people in addressing the urgent challenges they face,” said HEM. Hideki UEZONO, Japanese Ambassador to Mali.

The lack of shelter and safe WASH services increases the risk of disease and vulnerability of populations affected by the crisis that Mali has been experiencing since 2012. According to the report on population movements (DTM) published in April, 375,539 internally displaced persons were identified in 329 localities in Mali during the first quarter of 2023.

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For more information, please contact:

IOM Mali Public Information Unit. Email: bquenum@iom.int, Tel.: +223 90 50 00 06.