Mali

Today the World Food Programme announced that the United Arab Emirates will dedicate three aircraft until the end of 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic response, helping the World Health Organization and the global humanitarian community transport life-saving cargo and personnel to more than 100 countries in need.

United Nations humanitarian agencies and their partners are asking donors for an initial $350 million to rapidly scale up logistics services, aimed at supporting countries disproportionately affected by cancelled flights and disrupted supply routes to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Secretary-General condemned the double suicide bombing by suspected Boko Haram fighters on 5 April in Amichidé, in the Far North region of Cameroon, reiterating the United Nations continued support to countries in the Lake Chad Basin as they address the security, economic and humanitarian challenges posed by that group.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali is striving to carry out its mandate and build on a series of recent positive developments, despite persistent terrorist acts and mounting cases of COVID-19, the Organization’s senior official in the country told the Security Council in a videoconference meeting on 7 April.

On 2 March 2020, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017) concerning Mali held informal consultations to hear statements by Mali and States of the region.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is sending equipment to more than 40 countries to help them use nuclear-derived technology to rapidly detect COVID‑19.  Dozens of labs will receive diagnostic machines to speed up national testing, biosafety supplies and personal protection equipment.

The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Lise Grande, has condemned continued attacks against health facilities in Taizz, which are threatening services for hundreds of thousands of people.  Preliminary reports indicate that two buildings at the Al-Thawra General Hospital were hit by missiles on 13 March.

On 12 February 2020, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017) concerning Mali held informal consultations to consider the midterm report of the Panel of Experts on Mali, submitted in accordance with paragraph 4 of resolution 2484 (2020).

Humanitarian conditions in Mali continue to deteriorate due to violence, particularly in the north, east and central regions, the Humanitarian Affairs Office reports.  As of 11 March, some 86,000 people have been displaced in the Mopti region since 2018, bringing the number of displaced to 218,500 across Mali.

The border area of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger has become the epicentre of a fast-growing crisis marked by unprecedented levels of armed violence, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says.  Armed assailants have forced more than 3,600 schools and 241 health centres in those countries to close.