A boatman crossing the Niger river in Timbuktu region, Mali.
Access to medical care remains very limited in the north and center of Mali due to a lack of medical staff and supplies and spiraling violence between armed groups.

MSF works across Mali to assist the most vulnerable people. We are responding to the growing crisis in the central region, providing healthcare to nomadic communities in the north and caring for cancer patients in Bamako, the capital.

We also support nutrition and paediatric services in the southern Koutiala district. 

MSF, Doctors without borders, Mali
video

Understanding the humanitarian crisis

Mali: Understanding the humanitarian crisis

Headlines about Mali often focus on conflict and security concerns. But these stories obscure the reality for people living through a six-year-long crisis.

With 130,000 refugees already in neighbouring countries, more than one million people inside Mali are now in urgent need of health assistance.

This short video animation explains why.

Our Activities in Mali in 2022

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2022.

MSF IN MALI IN 2022 The humanitarian situation deteriorated in Mali in 2022, as clashes between armed groups and military forces intensified, causing new waves of displacement.
MSF_Mali_IAR_Map_2022

Doctors Without Borders/MSF ran a wide range of services in Mali, responding to the needs of people injured or displaced by violence and working to improve the availability of healthcare in Ansongo, Douentza, Ténenkou, Koutiala, Koro, Kidal, Timbuktu, Niafounké and Niono. Activities included general, paediatric and women’s healthcare, nutrition support and emergency surgery.

As well as supporting health centres and hospitals, we aim to make healthcare more accessible by expanding community-based activities. In 2022, we built two community-based health centres in Niono and scaled up our support in Nampala, where we focus on the provision of medical and malnutrition care and mental health support for victims of violence, pregnant women and children under 15 years old.

In the Ténenkou district, as insecurity issues prevented our teams from running mobile clinics, we relied on 33 community-based health workers to maintain basic healthcare. When malaria transmission was at its peak in the rainy season, 82 MSF-trained community health workers provided testing and treatment for the disease.

In Gourma, Timbuktu region, we also launched community-based activities, including treatment for malaria and malnutrition for people who otherwise would have no access to healthcare, mainly due to the distance they would have to travel to reach health facilities and the current security situation.

In Koutiala district, we continued to run our large paediatric and nutrition programme. In 2022, we also implemented a new mobile application called Antibiogo to help facilitate the diagnosis of antibiotic resistance and enable doctors to prescribe the most adequate antibiotics accordingly. In the capital, Bamako, we continued to support the Ministry of Health to tackle breast and cervical cancers by facilitating access to screening, diagnosis and treatment.

 
MSF, Doctors Without Borders, Malnutrition
Malnutrition

Fighting malnutrition it’s about funding and sound strategies, not rocket science

Op-Ed 10 Dec 2021
 
Bintou Soumbounou, performed the song "N'ayons plus peur", written for the Pink October campagin, at the opening ceremony of the Pink October campaign in Yirimadio health centre, Bamako, with MSF, MoH and all the partners.
Cancer

Pink October: The challenges of treating cancer in Mali

Patient and Staff Stories 10 Nov 2021
 
MSF, Doctors Without Borders, Mali, Fieldworker story, Mental Health
Mental Health

‘Three oranges to say thank you’: Paulette Baraka in Mali

Patient and Staff Stories 30 Jul 2021
 
MSF flag
Armed conflict

Mali: A patient dies after an MSF ambulance is violently detained

Press Release 7 Jan 2021
 
Having fled, these displaced people await their turn for a free consultation with MSF. In these consultations, the health workers give them advice on mental health, using illustrated materials. Picture taken in the Bandiagara Circle, central Mali.
Armed conflict

MSF is treating people injured in attacks in central Mali

Crisis Update 7 Jan 2021
 
Cervical cancer for women in Africa
Cancer

Cancer—a scourge for women in Africa

Latest News 15 Oct 2020