Climate will pose next threat to refugees from fighting and food shortages in Mali

Refugee workers in the Sahel region where thousands of Malian refugees are fleeing violence in their country said this week they are witnessing firsthand the knotted challenges of food security, climate change and conflict in Africa.

Alice Thomas, climate displacement manager for Refugees International, said tens of thousands of destitute Malians are pouring into countries already hit hard by starvation, lack of water and crop failures. Speaking from Dakar, Senegal, after two weeks assessing camps in Niger and Burkina Faso, Thomas said communities have opened up their villages to Malian refugees.

But, she and others worried, it could be just a matter of time before the stress from thousands of newcomers — and their livestock — reaches a breaking point.

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=malians-fleeing-drought-famine-war-climate-refugees

Tweet

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s) and not do necessarily reflect the views of the AfricaFiles' editors and network members. They are included in our material as a reflection of a diversity of views and a variety of issues. Material written specifically for AfricaFiles may be edited for length, clarity or inaccuracies.

     top of page

 back to Economic Justice page