As instability and forced displacement persist across Mali’s central and northern regions, women face escalating risks of gender-based violence, a United Nations agency has warned.
Following an investigation conducted last May, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the agency dedicated to sexual and reproductive health matters, reported “a surge in instances of sexual violence within internal displacement sites and conflict-affected areas.” The assessment highlighted occurrences of “sexual exploitation, harassment, and forced marriage.”
This heightened vulnerability emerges amidst a “critical humanitarian landscape” in parts of the central Sahel, where women are not only more susceptible to sexual violence but also “lack adequate access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.”
According to the UN agency, May 2025 witnessed a significant escalation of armed conflict, particularly in the regions of Tombouctou, Gao, Mopti, and Ménaka, characterized by a resurgence of attacks from armed groups. These violent events triggered further large-scale displacements.
Access to vital health services remains critically limited
The population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has neared 380,000, a notable increase from 330,000 in May 2024, representing an almost 15% rise. “Women and girls are at the core of these vulnerabilities, disproportionately impacted by both the escalating insecurity and the ongoing humanitarian crisis,” UNFPA stated.
Of the 6.4 million individuals requiring humanitarian assistance, over half are women and girls, many residing in areas where access to protection and health services is severely restricted, the agency reported.
Presently, fewer than 25% of health facilities in crisis-affected regions offer comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare or support for survivors of gender-based violence.
Nationally, nearly half of all specialized services in this sector remain non-operational. The most severely impacted regions include Gao (76%), Ménaka (77%), Mopti (56%), and Tombouctou (80%).
On the ground, UNFPA teams are actively scaling up their humanitarian efforts, providing crucial support to 86 health facilities, establishing six safe spaces dedicated to women and girls, and operating seven one-stop centers across the most affected central and northern regions, including Ségou, Mopti, Gao, Tombouctou, and Ménaka.
“Colossal” funding shortfall threatens essential services
During May alone, mobile health teams delivered sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence prevention programs to nearly 3,000 individuals in displacement camps, with women and adolescent girls accounting for 80% of beneficiaries.
Midwives offered vital prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care, while dignity kits and reproductive health supplies were distributed in areas devastated by both flooding and conflict.
Across Mali, an estimated 900,000 women and girls are identified as targets for reproductive health services or programs aimed at combating sexual violence.
However, the humanitarian response remains significantly underfunded. Out of this year’s appeal for $16.5 million, UNFPA has secured only $2.9 million. This leaves the agency’s teams grappling with a “colossal deficit of $13.5 million,” severely hindering their capacity to assist thousands of women and girls in dire need.
Without urgent additional financial support, the scope and long-term viability of crucial programs addressing sexual violence and providing reproductive health services in Mali are gravely jeopardized.
