News
Situation in Mali
Mali has been experiencing instability and conflict since the 2012 military coup. In 2020, a transition government was installed pending the organization of democratic elections and Colonel Assimi Goïta was proclaimed Head of State on May 28, 2021 by the Constitutional Court.
More recently French troops have left the country at the government’s request, as has the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission (MINUSMA) which was based in the north of the country from July 2014. Elections scheduled for February 2024 were postponed and Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have announced their imminent withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The government is no longer committed to the Algiers accords, the 2015 peace agreement between the Republic of Mali and the Coordination of Azawad Movements in the North.
Insecurity in north and central Mali, where communities are exposed to coercian and attack from jihadi-linked groups, has led to civilian deaths and widespread displacement. The Malian army, with Russian military support, is fighting the Tuareg Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) to expand its control over territory in the North.
This complex situation is accompanied by popular antipathy for France in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military governments are also in power. The situation for urban Malians is compounded by the cost of living crisis, frequent power cuts and an influx of friends and family from north and central Mali, where rural communities are exposed to poverty, insecurity and reduced or non existant health and education services. Reliable information is hard to find and social media is full of stories that are difficult to verify. There is a lot of enthusiasm for Mali standing on its own feet and moving forward to a self determined future, but in the overall geo-political situation, the challenges are enormous.
Many international development partners have withdrawn or reduced their support and Malian Associations and NGO’s are faced with funding challenges. In this situation MDG wants to do its small part in offering ongoing financial and moral support to our partners.
News from MDG
Although MDG is faced with some challenges, including ongoing fund raising, reduced size and capacity of our committee, and the changing situation in Mali, there continue to be real strengths, including a regular income stream from the ‘Babs’ catering group and a number of long standing, very generous members. We keep the situation under review, well aware of the importance of our contibution to the work of PAD, amidst the wider instability and uncertainty for Mali and the wider region.
New funding for PAD
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a grant of £4,500 by the Kitchen Table Charities Trust to support the PAD team in expanding their sewing and tailoring training to young men, in addition to the current offer to young single mums. We look forward to bringing you news of this initiative in due course.
The end of our long partnership with J&D
After much deliberation this long and fruitful partnership has come to an end. We intend to maintain the contact and friendships that have developed over the years and we celebrated our shared achievements, challenges and experiences on 07/09/2024 when we released A Journey Shared, a record of key events in the life of the partnership, and celebrated a remarkable relationship between two small organisations that enabled positive changes to so many people’s lives.
The event included our AGM and the 2024 annual report is also available to download at the bottom of the page. We continue to support our long term partner PAD, lead by Kader and his team.