DOHA: Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has allocated 110,000 euros (about QR500,000) for Mali refugees who fled to Niger due to political and military instability in their country.
Funds were part of a joint venture with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Both organisations recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to continue relief efforts for the refugees. UNHCR also allocated 472,000 euros. Both parties will continue medical intervention commenced in January under a previous deal that ended in October this year. With the new MoU, the term of the project was extended to December this year to meet the increasing needs of tens of thousands of refugees.
The project was launched in response to an emergency appeal from Mali and Islamic Supreme Council. It has two parts: Relief for internally displaced people in Mali and relief for Malian refugees in neighbouring countries, in coordination with UNHCR and the governments of the host countries.
One of the biggest refugee-receiving countries is Niger, particularly at the Tillabéri and Tahoua border regions. It is also a destination of refugees from neighbouring countries witnessing security turbulence, estimated at 315,000, but actual numbers are much higher, let alone the recurrent food crises and seasonal floods. Despite positive results of QRC’s intervention, there is a pressing need for more support, particularly as clashes between the belligerents in Mali have broken out again.
QRC medical teams have served 28,043 refugees at camps and 74,258 from adjacent local communities. The Peninsula
