 |
| OCHA Spokesperson Jens Laerke briefing reporters in Geneva [PHOTO: UNifeed] |
Geneva: Tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing the latest
outbreak of fighting in Mali that has led to French air strikes against
Islamist strongholds in the northern part of the country, the United Nations
said.
Conflict in the north of the country has triggered
widespread displacement within Mali and into neighbouring countries, uprooting
half a million people and placing pressure on vulnerable host communities still
recovering from the Sahel drought.
Briefing reporters in Geneva, Jens Laerke, the Spokesperson
for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) said, "The number of IDPs is estimated is at about 330,000 as of
yesterday", adding that it was estimated that "4.2 million Malians
will need humanitarian help in 2013."
Also briefing journalists, the UN Children's fund (UNICEF)
warned that the large numbers of displaced people could lead to families being
separated.
Marixie Mercado, UNICEF's Spokesperson said that "there
are large numbers of displaced people, and our major concern is that children
are separated from their families, which can make them much more vulnerable to
many forms of abuse, including recruitment and sexual violence."
Elisabeth Byrs, the World Food Program's spokesperson said
that WFP's projects to assist Malians were 96 per cent underfunded. She the
goal for this year is to reach nearly 400'00 people in need in Tambouktou, Gao
and Kidam, and also to serve 130,000 IDPs lodging with other families- in the
south of the country. -UNifeed