Mali is a vast, landlocked country located in the heart of the Sahel region. Mali's social indicators remain among the lowest in the world, and the country is ranked 182 out of 187 countries on the 2011 UNDP Human Development Index. Sixty-nine percent of the population lives below the national poverty line, and according to 2010 National Statistics, more than one-fifth of school-aged children do not attend school, three quarters of whom are girls.
2012 was a challenging year for Mali. The country was hit by a food and nutrition crisis early in the year caused by severe drought in 2011, which had significantly decreased agricultural production. At the same time, the first clashes with rebels took place in the northern regions. The subsequent political coup in Bamako on 22 March 2012 created unstable political, economic and security conditions. By early April 2012, non-state armed groups occupied some two-thirds of the country (Timbuktu, Gao, Kidal and parts of Mopti regions).
These events have increased vulnerability in Mali and have forced thousands of people to flee to safer regions within the country and in neighbouring countries. A transitional government, established in April 2013, was working to respond to crises associated with the drought and the occupation in the North. Elections in 2013 passed without incident, and the new president was inaugurated in September 2013.
A July 2013 Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) conducted by the Government of Mali along with WFP, FAO, and 15 other partners indicates that three out of four households in northern regions of the country are either moderately to severely food insecure, or heavily dependent on food assistance. In the three northern regions (Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal) around 50 percent of people have already sold off or mortgaged their assets, further threatening food security. 1.3 million people will continue to be in need of food assistance throughout 2013 and into 2014. This number will rise to approximately 1.5 million people once Internally Displaced Persons return to their areas of origin. Results of a new EFSA to assess conditions in the south are currently being analyzed.
In addition to the precarious food security and nutrition situation, widespread displacement and prolonged pressure on resources of hosting communities has depleted the population's ability to face recurring shocks. Results of a 2012 SMART nutrition survey conducted in the South indicated that 8.9 percent of children 6-59 months suffer from acute malnutrition, 29.1 percent are stunted and 20.0 percent are underweight.
During non-crisis years in Mali, a Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment (July 2007) showed that during the lean period, 11 percent of households were severely food insecure and 17 percent were moderately food insecure.
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