UNICEF Mali

Stories

Maïmouna Barry, 45, walks through what is left of the village of Ogossagou-Peulh with her daughter Hawa, 10. Maimouna lost her youngest daughter during the attack on the village. Seven-year-old Aminata died while trapped inside the family home when flames began to consume it. When Hawa heard the news, she screamed and threw herself on the ground. The village of Ogossagou-Peulh in Bankass, Mopti region, was attacked on the night of 23 March 2019, leaving over 150 people dead, one-third of which were children

Press release

Sharp increase in grave violations against children in Mali, warns UNICEF

Aminata, a displaced girl, was hit by a bullet as she tried to flee the village of Ogossagou when it was attacked in March 2019. "We started to run into the darkness and as we were running my mother was shot,” Aminata says. “I ran back to help her, and I was shot in the leg.” Aminata is now in a displacement camp in Sévaré, where UNICEF, local authorities and partners have set up clean water systems, tents for shelters and a temporary learning space where children can learn and play games.

Article

A shattered life, slowly on the mend

Escalating violence in Mali’s Mopti region has displaced tens of thousands of people. Children are becoming the primary victims

Hamadou drawing the horror he faces

Article

I just want to find my father

Like many children affected by the increase in violence in central Mali, Hamadou* had to flee from a raid on his village.

Leila, a girl from the volatile central region of Mopti, became one of the more than 70,000 children internally displaced in Mali when she had to flee her village during an attack. “We just heard men shouting and screaming and we heard lots of gunfire,” she says. “We ran, and as I looked back I saw everything burning.” UNICEF and the UN family are working with local authorities and NGOs to assist displaced children by providing shelter, temporary learning spaces, health services and psychosocial support.

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Far from home but ready for school

Leila’s village was attacked and her family fled for their lives, leaving behind everything she knew

Ismail, a young shepherd originally from Niger, lost his leg when he was tending to his animals with his brother and was caught up in an air strike. “I blacked out,” says Ismail. “I don't remember what happened. All I remember was them firing on us and our animals.” With the support of UNICEF, NGOs and local authorities, he is now recovering at a shelter for unaccompanied minors in Bamako.

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Boy interrupted

Ismail followed his flock into Mali and got caught in a crisis

Une jeune fille se cache derrière un puzzle fourni dans un kit de l'UNICEF dans le campement informel de Banguétaba. Des sessions psychosociales pour les enfants ont été organisées pour répondre aux besoins des enfants qui ont fui la violence croissante dans le centre du Mali. Banguétaba, à la périphérie de la ville de Sévaré, dans la région de Mopti, dans le centre du Mali, avril 2019.

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Fading nightmares with games and listening

For those recovering from violence, UNICEF offers psychosocial support, adapting its response to needs & ways of life.

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What we do

A girl writing on the blackboard

Harnessing children’s potential through quality education for every child

A girl dressed for a wedding.

Creating change for Mali’s most vulnerable children

Child Protection

A girl drinking water from a water point

Improving children’s lives through clean water and clean environments

Water, sanitation and hygiene

A happy child

Giving every child a fair chance to survive and thrive

Fatoumata* and Aichata*, both 12, hold hands at a newly created displacement site in Sevare.

Responding to increasing humanitarian needs

Humanitarian Response

A group of back-to-school children ambassadors in Mopti

Enabling children and adolescents to unlock the door to prosperity, peace and development

Cross-cutting programmes