Attachments
Appeal highlights
- Mali continues to experience political instability, marked by ongoing tensions, a transition process, and the withdrawal of the country from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Non-state armed groups are fueling insecurity in the central and northern regions of the country, with violence increasingly spilling into southern areas. Renewed military clashes have further exacerbated instability in the north.
- The conflict has displaced 378,000 people, further straining vulnerable communities. Due to conflict, climate change and a prolonged nutrition crisis, 6.4 million people – including 3.5 million children – are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
- UNICEF is strengthening its field presence and partnering with local and national systems to deliver aid. Investments in localization aim to improve access to essential services.
- To support the 2.9 million most vulnerable children in Mali, UNICEF urgently seeks US $132.9 million to provide life-saving assistance and ensure children's critical needs are met.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
Children in Mali continue to endure severe hardship due to a multidimensional, protracted and complex crisis driven by escalating conflict, climate-induced disasters and sociopolitical instability. The country's 2025 exit from the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), coupled with national elections, present opportunities for change but also risk causing tensions and unrest. Nearly half the population lives in poverty, and several vulnerable communities are cut off from basic services. In 2025, 6.4 million people, including 3.5 million children, will need humanitarian assistance.
Key developments in 2024 included the emergence of new armed groups and intensification of attacks targeting convoys and outposts of Malian armed forces, particularly in the central and southern regions near the Mali-Niger-Burkina Faso border. Armed groups have deliberately disrupted local economies through violence. Military operations have exacerbated displacement and protection risks, leading to more than 378,000 internally displaced persons.6
The overall humanitarian response remains critically underfunded, with only 38 per cent of requirements7 received in 2024. Access restrictions, threats to aid workers and logistical challenges impede the delivery of assistance. Floods and droughts driven by the effects of climate change exacerbate these challenges, worsening food insecurity and malnutrition.
The nutrition crisis in conflict-affected regions is severe. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification estimates that 2.8 million people will need emergency nutrition assistance in 2025.8 Among them, 1.5 million children under age 5 are expected to suffer from wasting, including 425,000 with severe wasting – a 26 per cent increase in the severe wasting caseload compared with 2024.9
Mali’s health infrastructure is strained. Facilities have been damaged by conflict and there are critical shortages of staff and equipment. Four per cent of health facilities are non-functional due to insecurity. In 2024, the country faced multiple public health emergencies, including measles.
The education sector is in crisis, and 1,984 schools have closed due to insecurity. Flooding in 2024 delayed the start of the academic year by more than a month, disrupting education for 537,600 children.
Protection needs are rising sharply. More than half of displaced persons are children, facing risks of recruitment by armed groups, family separation, child labour and gender-based violence. In 2025, an estimated 1.7 million children11 will require protection services – a 33 per cent rise compared with 2024.12
The WASH sector is under pressure. Twenty-eight per cent of households lack access to clean water and sanitation – with this proportion rising to 55 per cent in severely affected regions.