Africa, Combating Desertification and Drought, Development & Aid, Environment, Food and Agriculture, Headlines, Poverty & SDGs

Mali Nomads Flee Drought

Soumaïla T. Diarra

BAMAKO, Aug 26 2010 (IPS) - Nomadic communities in northern Mali’s desert regions are facing one of the most serious droughts of the last twenty years.

“Since the end of last year’s rainy season, many herders understood that this was going to be a drought year,” said Mohamed Assaleh, mayor of the northern town of Talatye. “Grass hasn’t grown anywhere in the district. So they have decided to search for pastures further afield.”

More than a quarter of the district’s population has already migrated elsewhere – towards the Niger river at Tessie and Ouattagouna, into neighbouring Niger and even as far as Burkina Faso far to the south.

Talataye is on the list of 43 districts at risk for food insecurity published by the Malian government back in March. Its population, estimated at 30,000, survives mainly from herding cattle, camels, sheep and goats. Drought is a recurring threat, and the pastoralists presently face acute shortages lack of water and pasture, though locals argue that the situation was worse during the droughts of 1973 and 1984.   Some areas in the western part of Mali are also affected by the shortage of water and forage. But the economy of the northern desert regions is hardest hit.

“It’s unclear how many herds remain in Talataye versus how many have been displaced. Wherever they go, the animals die in large numbers, especially sheep, cows and donkeys. A few camels and goats survive in places where there are a few trees,” said Assaleh.

“Because of the water shortage, some heads of families have lost almost all their animals,” said Ag Mahmoud Idriss, a farmer from the northern town of Menaka.

Because so many are selling, the price of livestock has collapsed. According to Idriss the sale of five to six goats is barely enough to cover the price of a 50 kilogramme-sack of rice, about 15,000 CFA francs (about $30 US).

Ahmed Ould Baba told IPS: “I usually leave the Menaka region only during the rainy season. But this year, my animals will not survive until then. There is not enough water for them to drink, which is why they have all become so thin. It is because many wells have dried up and there is no grass or plants to feed the animals.”   The crisis is affecting all spheres of life. “Even the education system is feeling the crisis a bit. Some of my colleagues told me they are struggling to keep students in class who are compelled to follow their parents to Niger in search of water and pastures,” Babacary Adama Diarra, a primary school teacher in the city of Anderaboucane.   Assistance has been limited.

“The Malian Red Cross, with support from the U.S. government has started free food distribution in affected communities. They also distribute feed for the animals,” Diakaridia Dembele, head of communications at the Red Cross, told IPS.   In June, the European Commission announced it was providing 30 million dollars of assistance to Sahelian countries, including Niger, Mali and Chad. However, the non-governmental organisation Oxfam International stressed rich donor countries need to increase emergency aid for Sahelian populations.

Relief efforts in neighbouring Niger have had to be sharply scaled back as donors have not come forward in response to a request from the World Food Programme for $371 million dollars to support emergency aid.

The Malian government sent the district of Talataye 389 tonnes of sorghum for distribution. “It’s sorely needed support… but is not part of the customary diet,” says Assaleh, who told IPS that government had not consulted with locals before sending the sorghum.

“It should have been replaced by rice or millet. What is worse is that the animals die eating it. So these donations will neither feed people, nor replace cattle feed,” lamented Assaleh.