Niger: Number of Malian refugees hits post-conflict high

| November 23, 2015

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The June 2015 peace deal between the Malian government and separatist rebels has failed to end the violence or stem the flow of Malian refugees to Niger, according to the United Nations.

In recent weeks, thousands have fled fighting, lawlessness, and food shortages in eastern Mali, the UN said last week.

Many female refugees say that Malian authorities have been unable to stop animal thefts, provide schooling for children, or prevent damage to public buildings.

Leo Dobbs is a spokesperson for the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. He says, “It is not all-out combat; it is lawlessness. There is an absence of administration in the east [of Mali]—there is not sufficient security.”

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Photo: In this 2013 file photo, Malian children stand in front of a tent at the refugee camp of Taberey Baraye, some 7km (4 miles) from Ayorou, Mali, near the Mali-Niger border. Credit: REUTERS/Alain Amontchi