According to a coalition of 22 humanitarian organizations, the number of Malians facing hunger has tripled since last year, and hunger is currently at its highest level since Mali’s security crisis began in 2012.
According to the Humanitarian Working Group of the International NGOs Forum in Mali, rising insecurity, droughts, and the socioeconomic impact of the coronavirus have pushed 1.2 million people into a food crisis this year (Fongim).
According to Fongim’s members, just half of the money needed for food security solutions was secured in 2017, and this has reduced to a quarter in 2021.
Drought has hit Mali hard, affecting more than 3 million people, primarily in the centre and northern cities of Mopti, Ségou, and Timbuktu.
Many families are unable to buy staples such as corn and rice, which have increased by 22% in some places. To avoid food scarcity, the transitional administration suspended exports of numerous local agricultural products last week.
Humanitarian organizations argue that a decade of conflict has harmed people’s livelihoods and that they must adapt their responses to the ongoing crisis to avoid increased famine in Mali in the coming years.
