Mali Red Cross, also known as CRM, (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''Croix-Rouge Malienne'') was founded in 1965 on the basis of the Geneva Conventions of August 1949 and of the order of 59 PCG 28 March 1959 governing associations and NGOs in the

Republic of Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east by Niger, to the northwest by Mauri ...

. It is headquartered in

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

. The primary goal of the Mali Red Cross is to provide aid to people suffering the combined effects of armed conflict, promote nutrition and health, and provide assistance during food shortages. The

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is a worldwide humanitarian aid organization that reaches 160 million people each year through its 191 member National Societies. It acts before, during and after disas ...

(IFRC) recognized the Mali

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

on September 14, 1967, as the 109 national society of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

2014 kidnapping

On February 8, 2014, five Malian humanitarian workers, four of them whom were Mali Red Cross workers, were reported missing by the IFRC. Reportedly, the humanitarian workers were traveling on a road between the northern towns of

Kidal Kidal ( Tuareg Berber: ⴾⴸⵍ, KDL, Kidal) is a town and commune in the desert region of northern Mali. The town lies northeast of Gao and is the capital of the Kidal Cercle and the Kidal Region. The commune has an area of about and incl ...

and

Gao Gao (or Gawgaw/Kawkaw) is a city in Mali and the capital of the Gao Region. The city is located on the River Niger, east-southeast of Timbuktu on the left bank at the junction with the Tilemsi valley. For much of its history Gao was an imp ...

in Northern Mali before their disappearance. The abductions led to a temporary suspension in the movement of Mali Red Cross staff members in the northern region. On February 11, an Islamist militant group, the

Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa The Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MOJWA) or the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (abbreviated MUJWA; ''Jamāʿat at-tawḥīd wal-jihād fī gharb ʾafrīqqīyā''; , abbreviated MUJAO), was a militant Is ...

, or MUJAO, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the five Malian workers. On April 17, 2014, a news release by the Bamako-based IFRC reported that the abducted Mali Red Cross workers had been freed during an undisclosed military operation conducted by French military forces. Two of the workers suffered minor injuries. The remaining three went unharmed.

2014 Ebola response

The first case of the

Ebola virus disease Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after infe ...

in Mali was detected in October 2014. In response, the Mali Red Cross in collaboration with the IFRC and other healthcare organizations throughout Mali launched an Ebola operation in order to combat and prevent the possibility of an

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after in ...

outbreak. With only a total of eight cases that resulted in six deaths, the response was relatively successful. Mali was declared Ebola-free on January 18, 2015.

Statistics

In 2014, the Mali Red Cross distributed over 15,000 tons of food, provided access to drinking water for 240,000 people, and secured 4,100 detainee visits.

References

http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/where-we-work/africa/mali-red-cross/ http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/news-stories/africa/mali/mali-red-cross-aids-thousands-fleeing-cote-divoire-conflict/

External links

Official websiteMali Red Cross Profile
{{Authority control Red Cross and Red Crescent national societies 1965 establishments in Mali Organizations established in 1965 Medical and health organisations based in Mali