ASSOCIATION AKASSA SAHEL
CRISIS IN NORTHERN MALI
Date: 16th June 2005
A double blow of bad rains and locusts has brought the southern Sahara to the verge
of famine.
These past few weeks some very disturbing reports have been emerging from Northern
Mali. Last year a meagre rainy season was followed by an invasion of locusts which
destroyed many already depeleted pastures and crops in the area. Millions of
people now face starvation, malnutrition and destitution. Even if this year?s
rains, which are due any day, are good, it will not bring much respite to the
thousands of nomadic herders who have already seen their livestock wiped out and
their livelihoods eradicated.
I recently spoke to Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, guitarist and signer with the Touareg
band Tinariwen, who is in the group?s hometown of Kidal in northeastern Mali. He
told me that though people are used to hardships during amekessou, the hot season
which immediately precedes the rains, this year the situation is critical. Most of
his family, who normally live out in the desert and rarely come to town, and now
taking refuge in Kidal. Wells in the region have dried up, nomads have seen their
herds decimated, half the population are facing food shortages, one in three
children under five are facing malnutrition and only half of the food aid promised
by the government has arrived. Some say that water-shortages are now worse than
they were during the historic droughts of ?73 ? ?74 and ?84 ? ?85, which were among
the main contributing factors to the political and social upheavals that lead to the
Touareg rebellion in the early 1990s.
This dire situation is replicated throughout the southern Sahara, from Mauretania to
The Sudan. International news organisations, especially those in France, have
already given the crisis some coverage but huge amounts of aid is now required in
order to stave off a full-blown famine and prevent further long-term social and
political degradation.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Various ngos and aid organisations are already actively trying to help in northern
Mali, and they all need funds and support. These include Oxfam, ACORD, Action
Contre La Faim, Medecins Sans FrontiËres and SOS Sahel.
However this a special appeal on behalf of the Paris based ASSOCIATION AKASSA SAHEL,
who have been active in the Kidal region of northeastern Mali since 2002. Akassa?s
director, Aboubacrine Ag Rhissa, is seeking to raise around 5,000 Euros to fund a
food and animal feed distribution drive in the area. For more information please
visit Akassa?s website at www.akassa.org
Those who feel able to help should make a donation by bank transfer to:
BANK: La Poste
ADDRESS: Centre Financier de Paris, 75900 Paris Cheques, France
BANK CODE: 30041
GUICHET CODE: 00001
ACCOUNT NAME: Associaion Akassa Sahel
ACCOUNT No.: 5853075 Z 020
CL... RIB: 57
IBAN NUMBER: FR7030041000012853075Z0257
If you?d like to contact Aboubacrine directly, his e-mail is info@akassa.org and his
address is
6 rue Albert Camus, F-75010 Paris, France.
Many thanks for your time and your support,
Andy Morgan : Manager, Tinariwen
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