Malian Refugees Fleeing Tuareg Rebellion

By Tamara Alfred

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says fighting between the Malian armed forces and the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) has displaced 60,000 people within Mali, not including those who have fled to neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, the UN says that more than 44,000 Malian refugees have crossed into Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso.  The majority of the refugees are fleeing the fighting in the north of the country, but others are seeking shelter from ethnic tension and violent demonstrations in cities in the south.

“This is the worst human rights crisis in northern Mali for 20 years,” said Gaetan Mootoo, Amnesty International’s researcher on West Africa.  “The rule of law has been markedly absent in this part of the country for years, and the region could be plunged into chaos if the fighting continues.”

Starting on January 18, dozens of soldiers and fighters were killed in clashes between the Malian armed forces and the MNLA, a Tuareg armed opposition group who says it is fighting for the independence of northern regions in Mali.  The Tuareg rebels began by attacking various army garrisons in the north of Mali.  Violent demonstrations then spread to several southern cities.  Those marches were organized in reaction to what protesters viewed as a “timid” reaction by the authorities against the rebellion, but many degenerated into rioting.

The resurgence in fighting follows two years of relative peace between the government and the Tuareg.

Following the initial attacks, photographs circulated showing the corpses of Malian soldiers with their hands tied behind their backs, prompting the authorities to accuse the MNLA of carrying out extrajudicial executions.  The MNLA denied the allegations, saying the photos were fabricated.

Amnesty International has called for MNLA to reveal the names of any captives they are holding and to allow the Red Cross access to them.  The human rights organization has also asked Malian authorities to charge or release four people, including two women, who were arrested in the northern town of Kidal for their alleged support of the MNLA.

During various demonstrations, the Malian security forces have failed to prevent mobs from attacking homes and properties owned by Tuaregs and other ethnic groups, including Arabs and Mauritanians, living in the capital.  As a result, thousands of Tuaregs and others, targeted because of their lighter skin color, have begun fleeing the country.

Sinegodar, a village located approximately 12 miles from the Mali border, has seen the largest influx of refugees – around 9,000.  Many of the refugees in Sinegodar come from Menaka, a town in northeastern Mali which was first attacked by the rebels on January 17.  Many of the refugees travelled on foot or on donkeys and had not eaten for several days.

“Many of the new arrivals are sleeping in the open and have little access to shelter, clean water, health service and food,” said UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards.

“As the influx continues, our teams are stepping up assistance for refugees who have taken refuge in makeshift shelters in villages bordering Mali,” UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming said in a news release.  “Humanitarian assistance is all the more critical because the Sahel region is facing a severe food crisis due to several years of drought.”

Mali’s political parties have jointly called on the government to hold a forum for peace and reconciliation as a way to end the rebellion, while President Amadou Toumani Toure has sought to keep the country from further eruptions.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Mali: UN warning over refugees fleeing Tuareg rebellion – 18 February 2012

Amnesty International – Mali: Violence in North Causing a Human Rights Crisis – 16 February 2012

BBC News – In pictures: Malians flee Tuareg rebels – 16 February 2012

AllAfrica.com – Mali: Fifty Thousand Flee As Political Parties Call for Dialogue – 10 February 2012

Author: Impunity Watch Archive