icrc-annual-report-2013

CONTEXTClashes between Malian/French/international forces andarmed groups – since the resumption of hostilities in January –caused casualties and fresh displacements in northern Mali anddisrupted commerce and food production. By mid-year the transitionalgovernment had regained Gao, Kidal and Tombouctoutowns and negotiated a peace agreement with the MouvementNational de Libération de l’Azawad and some other armed groups.Presidential and legislative elections took place peacefully inJuly and November. The authorities made little progress inaddressing conflict-related crimes and re-establishing the rule oflaw in the north.The armed conflict was however far from over. Continuedoperations by Malian/French forces, the UN MultidimensionalIntegrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) andarmed groups added to already chronic insecurity and derailedcommunities’ recovery from drought and conflict. In Kidal,protests against State control sometimes ended violently. State/humanitarian actors who increased their activities in the north torebuild notably health, water and penitentiary services encounteredobstacles in relation to access and security.The continued presence of IDPs among host communities – insome cases, since 2012 – strained local resources and exacerbatedsocial, economic and political tensions. Some residents – returneesand families who had lost their breadwinners – faced poor livelihoodprospects because of the conflict.ICRC ACTION AND RESULTSIn 2013, the ICRC’s regional delegation in Niamey addressedgrowing needs in northern Mali arising from the renewed hostilitiesand successive food crises. The ICRC intensified effortsto promote respect for the population and continued large-scaleassistance activities from 2012, drawing on increased funding forits operations in Mali and Niger (see Niamey). In September, theICRC upgraded its presence in Mali to a separate delegation.As a matter of priority, the ICRC reminded the authorities, Malian/French/international troops and the Mouvement National deLibération de l’Azawad (MNLA) of their obligations under IHL topeople not or no longer participating in the fighting. The importanceof allowing people safe access to health care services andhumanitarian aid was impressed upon weapon bearers throughinformation sessions or messages via the media. Reports of abusewere shared with parties concerned, which helped prevent recurrence.The authorities also drew on ICRC input for ratifyingweapon-related IHL treaties and updating legislation applicable tothe conflict.Conflict-affected people met their immediate needs with help fromthe ICRC and the Mali Red Cross: new IDPs who had fled duringrenewed fighting settled into host communities, aided by foodrations and household essentials; IDPs who were staying with hostcommunities – some since 2012 – received food rations throughoutthe year, as before; and returning IDPs and refugees resettledin their home communities with ICRC assistance. Vulnerableresidents, helped by ICRC-supplied food rations, withstood thehunger gap period. In the towns of Gao, Kidal and Tombouctou,residents enjoyed uninterrupted access to clean water, thanks tofuel provided by the ICRC to power water supply/treatment stations,because the conflict prevented the authorities from doing so.With ICRC help, communities affected by armed conflict/successivedroughts stepped up food production and coped with increasinglystrained local resources. For example, vulnerable residents supplementedtheir incomes by participating in cash-for-work projectsto upgrade community infrastructure, which helped ensure thatfarmers and herders had enough water for their crops or livestock.Farmers supplemented their sources of food/income by consumingand selling crops cultivated with ICRC-supplied seed and tools.Because of free veterinary services, destocking programmes andtraining, pastoralists had healthier, more productive herds. Inthis way, vulnerable communities built their resilience to harshclimatic conditions and violence.Wounded and sick people recovered thanks to uninterruptedmedical services at the Gao regional hospital, which maintainedand enhanced its services with substantial ICRC support, inparticular a team of six ICRC specialists. Patients with specificneeds were evacuated to other facilities, including physical rehabilitationcentres. Other people, mainly women and children,accessed primary health care at ICRC-supported communityhealth centres or during immunization campaigns.People arrested in connection with the conflict, including thoseheld by the MNLA or transferred by French/international forcesto Malian custody, received visits from ICRC delegates, who monitoredtheir treatment and living conditions. The authorities, withdirect ICRC support, took steps to improve health care for alldetainees and to mitigate the impact of overcrowding on inmatesby upgrading prison facilities.Families separated by armed conflict, or owing to detention,restored contact thanks to National Society/ICRC family-linksservices coordinated with ICRC efforts in neighbouring countries.Encouraged by the ICRC, the authorities, health structures and theNational Society considered incorporating human remains managementin their contingency planning. Trained National Societyvolunteers helped ensure that casualties could be identified andtheir families informed.The National Society built up its emergency-response capacitieswith the help of its primary partner, the ICRC. Movement componentsin Mali signed a new cooperation agreement, thereby formalizingthe systematic coordination of their activities with eachother and other actors, helping avoid duplication.CIVILIANSCivilians’ claims provide basis for representations toalleged perpetratorsFollowing the resumption of hostilities, the Malian authorities,French/Malian/international forces, the MNLA and other armedgroups received oral/written reminders of their responsibilitiestowards those not or no longer participating in the fighting,particularly regarding people’s safe access to medical services, inconformity with IHL and domestic law. The prevailing insecuritylimited direct contact with some armed groups.People approached the ICRC to report missing relatives andabuses, such as sexual violence and disregard for medical services/personnel. Documented allegations were shared with partiesconcerned, encouraging them to prevent recurrence. A detailedassessment of the needs of victims of sexual violence and relatedcultural/security issues, conducted at mid-year, helped guide theICRC’s activities later in 2013, as well as its planning for 2014.MALI | 171