GENEVA: Thousands of refugees from war-torn Mali have crossed into neighboring Niger amid fears of reprisals by the country's military who are battling rebels, the UN refugee agency said yesterday.
Almost 6,000 people, mainly women and children, arrived on foot or on donkeys, said Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
"They say they fled because of the ongoing war in northern Mali, and for fear of possible reprisals by the Malian army. They also said that more people are on their way to Niger," Edwards told reporters.
The refugees began arriving on March 28 near the communities of Mentes and Midal in a remote desert area in the north of the west African country. "We haven't had refugees coming across at this point before," Edwards said.
"Reception conditions are very precarious. The only available water, which contains clay, is drawn from pools. No health facilities are available. We are planning to relocate these refugees to Midal where we can better assist them and where there is a functioning well," he added.
Mali imploded following a coup in March 2012 by soldiers who blamed the government for the army's humiliation at the hands of Tuareg rebels, who had launched an uprising in the north two months earlier.
New Mali refugees flee to Niger
