Tens of thousands homeless in Mali violence – UN

The Punch - Nigeria

Fighting in northern Mali has forced nearly 60,000 people to flee their homes over the past month, a UN aid agency says, highlighting the lack of peace despite a partial deal being signed earlier this month.

The latest exodus brings to more than 100,000 the number of Malians displaced in the desert north, which has been in turmoil since a 2012 Tuareg-led separatist uprising was hijacked by better-armed al Qaeda-linked fighters.

French forces scattered the al-Qaeda fighters in 2013. But they have since regrouped and are attacking French and UN troops, who are also trying to broker peace between the southern government and rebels seeking autonomy for the north.

UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said the majority of the newly displaced were from the Timbuktu region, which has seen a string of clashes involving various groups of fighters.

Civilians said they were fleeing their homes because they feared violence as well as forced recruitment by armed groups, UNHCR said.