As insecurity and forced displacement persist across central and northern Mali, women and girls face increasingly severe risks of gender-based violence, a United Nations agency has warned.
A recent investigation conducted in May by the UNFPA, the United Nations agency dedicated to sexual and reproductive health, reveals a significant increase in sexual violence incidents within internally displaced persons (IDP) sites and active conflict zones in Mali. The report specifically highlights instances of sexual exploitation, pervasive harassment, and forced marriages.
This heightened vulnerability unfolds amid a “critical humanitarian context” in parts of the central Sahel region. Women, in particular, are not only exposed to elevated risks of sexual violence but are also deprived of adequate access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.
The UN agency noted that May 2025 witnessed a sharp intensification of armed conflict, particularly in the regions of Timbuktu, Gao, Mopti, and Ménaka. A resurgence of armed group attacks fueled this violence, leading to new waves of mass displacement across the country.
severely restricted access to vital health services
The population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Mali has surged to nearly 380,000, a significant increase from 330,000 recorded in May 2024—representing a rise of almost 15%. The UNFPA emphasized that “women and girls are at the epicenter of these vulnerabilities, disproportionately impacted by both the pervasive insecurity and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.”
Of the 6.4 million individuals requiring humanitarian assistance, more than half are women and girls. Many of these reside in areas where access to essential protection and healthcare services is severely constrained, according to the agency.
Alarmingly, fewer than one-quarter of health facilities in crisis-affected regions currently offer comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care or provide crucial support for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).
Nationwide, nearly half of all specialized services in this critical area remain non-operational. The regions experiencing the most profound impact include Gao (76% affected), Ménaka (77%), Mopti (56%), and Timbuktu (80%).
On the ground, UNFPA teams are actively scaling up their humanitarian efforts. This involves supporting 86 health facilities, establishing six safe spaces specifically for women and girls, and operating seven one-stop centers across the most severely impacted central and northern regions, including Ségou, Mopti, Gao, Timbuktu, and Ménaka.
Throughout May alone, mobile health teams delivered vital sexual and reproductive health services and gender-based violence prevention programs to nearly 3,000 individuals in displaced persons’ camps, with women and young girls accounting for 80% of beneficiaries.
Midwives provided essential prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care, while dignity kits and reproductive health supplies were distributed in areas affected by both flooding and ongoing conflict.
Across Mali, an estimated 900,000 women and girls are targeted to receive critical reproductive health services or participate in programs aimed at combating sexual violence.
colossal funding shortfall threatens vital aid
Despite these extensive needs, the humanitarian response remains critically underfunded. Out of this year’s appeal for $16.5 million, UNFPA has only secured $2.9 million. This leaves the agency’s teams grappling with a “colossal deficit of $13.5 million”—funds desperately needed to assist thousands of vulnerable women and girls.
The UNFPA warns that “without urgent additional funding,” the scope and long-term sustainability of programs addressing sexual violence and providing essential reproductive health services in Mali are severely jeopardized.