Malian refugees in Niger await food and water
Thousands of people in western Niger who fled a rebellion in Mali are suffering from a severe shortage of food and water, local officials and aid providers have said.
"We must fear a humanitarian catastrophe, if nothing is done," said Boureima Issaka of the Niger-based aid group Timidria. Issak spoke from Chinegodar, a small village that has seen an influx of some 6,000 refugees in less than a month.
The UN Refugee Agency said on Tuesday that an estimated 22,000 people have fled from Mali to neighbouring countries to escape fighting between government troops and armed rebels that has caused dozens of casualties on either side. The combat began on January 17, when the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) launched an attack in northern Mali - the largest offensive by Tuareg rebels since 2009 - sparking clashes with the army.
Many Tuareg fighters were employed by Muammer Gaddafi's regime in Libya, and his fall is believed to have led them to return to the fighting in their homelands.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/02/20122794817189961.html
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