UN humanitarian coordinator slams increase in violence against aid agencies in Mali

The UN humanitarian coordinator in Mali, Mbaranga Gasarabwe, has condemned the recent increase of violence against humanitarian organizations in the West African country, saying these attacks stunted the efforts to help vulnerable people, a UN spokesman told reporters here Friday.

Some 30 attacks have targeted aid workers and their facilities since the beginning of the year, most of them in recent months, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

"In the latest incident, an explosive device was set off at the entrance of a building housing a non-governmental organization in Menaka, in the Gao region," he said.

"The humanitarian coordinator said that hindering the work of humanitarian organizations affects first and foremost vulnerable people -- the men, women and children for whom humanitarian assistance is often a question of survival," he said.

He added that attacks against the personnel and facilities of humanitarian organizations also violate international humanitarian law.

Some 140 aid organizations work in Mali, about 100 of which are located in the north. They provide essential water, food, health services, education, shelter and livelihood support for hundreds of thousands of people. Enditem