Qatar: $500000 Mln for Mali relief efforts

The Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has announced the allocation of $500,000 for an urgent intervention program to rescue refugees from the Republic of Mali who had escaped to nearby areas following recent developments in the country. Mali had been witnessing violence and armed conflict since January 2012 between a number of groups forcing some 318,000 people to migrate and seek proximate shelter in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, or Niger, QRC said in a release. The majority of refugees are women and children as many men stay home to protect their properties and livestock. The conflict has had a strong impact on civilians with severe drought worsening food security, added the release. In light of these circumstances, a delegation led by Head of International Programs Department at QRC Khaled Diab conducted a field visit to Niger to determine the refugees\' immediate needs and communicate with concerned parties and institutions. In that context, the delegation met with Nigerien Prime Minister Brigi Rafini and discussed the possibility of a QRC intervention with relief programs for Malian refugees on Nigerien lands, who according to UN reports have exceeded 40,000. QRC will focus on remote areas which are further away from the capital as they are more difficult to reach, underlining its expertise in the Tawa area. The delegation presented to the Nigerien Premier food and water security programmes it had previously implemented through its on-location bureau since 2005 operating with a budget of more than $11 million. Also visiting Gao northern Mali, QRC distributes a variety of relief material to around 1000 families as a primary phase, moving afterwards to Burkina Faso. (QNA)