In partnership with UNHCR, IOM is to start safe and orderly
relocation of up to 5,000 Malian refugees and Nigerien returnees,
from their current location at Chinegodar on the Niger-Mali border,
to Ouallam, a district of Niger.

The displaced are among 24,805 people, consisting of 17,242
Malian refugees and 7,563 Niger nationals who crossed the Niger
border to flee violence in Mali, according to statistics provided
by Mali’s Early Warning System (Système d’Alerte
Précoce or SAP.)

Since mid-January, Malian government forces and the Tuareg
liberation movement MNLA (Mouvement National de Liberation de
l'Azawad) have been engaged in heavy fighting in the northern
region of Mali. The violence has triggered the displacement of
thousands of people inside the country and across Mali’s
borders with Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The region is already facing severe food shortages and
malnutrition affecting millions of people in the Sahel region, due
to a combination of crop failure, insecurity and the return of
thousands of migrant workers from Libya.

The displaced people, who include women, children, the sick and
the elderly, have been staying at Chinegodar, where the ICRC has
provided them with tents, while the Niger Red Cross, WFP, UNICEF
and other humanitarian organizations have been providing them with
food, water and basic amenities.

The place is remote and inhospitable with no roads or
communication infrastructure, making the provision of basic
services a challenge to humanitarian organizations. In addition,
its proximity to the border makes it a continuing security hazard
– hence the need to relocate the displaced far from the
border areas.

IOM has organized 30 trucks and buses for the daily
transportation of the displaced between Chinegodar and Ouallam, a
distance of 195 km. Each truck will be carrying 30 passengers.

IOM has also despatched medical supplies to Chinegodar with a
team of two medical doctors and nurses to provide travel health
assistance. A second team, consisting of one doctor and two nurses,
will be sent to provide a medical escort for those unable to travel
on their own, due to sickness or old age.

Those who require medical care before travel will be looked
after by a team from Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF.
The Nigerien Red Cross has contributed 30 first-aid personnel who
will be working on the rescue missions.

The IOM team is now fully deployed at Chinegodar to start the
relocation operations to the new site.

For more information please contact:

Abibatou Wane

IOM Niger

Tel: +227 905 43 241

E-mail: "awane@iom.int">awane@iom.int