Recovering from livelihood insecurity and political instability in northern Mali: Bouncing back

Rural livelihoods in Sahelian West Africa have long had to contend with climatic variability. Households have managed highly variable rainfall by storing surplus grain from good years for bad ones, dispersing activities across different ecotones, migrating seasonally, and falling back on coping strategies in difficult times.1 Political instability, while problematic anywhere, is especially consequential in a region in which mobility is crucial and the margins for survival are thin. This is particularly true in the northern part of Mali, which has been in turmoil since a March 2012 coup d'etat, and was under nominal control by separatists from shortly after the coup until the French intervened militarily in January 2013. Even after the French intervention, which primarily secured urban areas in the north, livelihoods in many rural areas of this region remain compromised. Outside assistance has been minimal or non-existent in many cases due to insecurity and/or the fact that most donors were precluded from the provision of non-essential aid pending the election of a legitimate government, which occurred in late July 2013.2Rebuilding livelihood security in northern Mali should be a key priority for the newly elected government. This policy brief reviews key background on rural livelihoods in northern Mali before exploring current food insecurity in the region as it has been affected by internally displaced people, political insecurity, limited mobility, climate variability, and discussions about a separate Tuareg state. The article also examines strategies for rebuilding rural livelihood in this region, from broader security and political initiatives to grassroots interventions.Background on northern MaliIn order to understand food and livelihood security in northern Mali, it is critical to comprehend background information on the physical geography, demographics, drought history, and traditional household coping mechanisms of the zone. For the purposes of this article, "the north," or northern Mali, is defined as the area controlled by various Tuareg rebel groups, also known as Azawad, between March 2012 and January 2013 (see Figure 1). This definition of the north is useful from a food security perspective because this area has experienced a similar level of political insecurity and limited mobility.The regions (or provinces) of Mopti, Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal (comprising the previously defined northern Mali) may be divided into roughly three different ecosystems: the dry savanna grasslands, the seasonally inundated inner Niger delta, and the desert. The dry savanna grasslands, or Sahel, are largely found in the Mopti region of northern Mali and have an average rainfall of 250 600 millimetres per annum, falling between June and August. This grassland landscape is dotted with stubby trees and bushes. Arcing through northern Mali is the Niger River. The headwaters of the river are in the Fouta Djallon highlands of Guinea, which receive heavy rainfall in the May to October period. This water, runoff along the Niger in southern Mali, along with significant input from the Bani River, a major tributary which joins the Niger in the Mopti region near the town of Djenne, leads the river to crest in northern Mali in December and January. The river creates a distinctive ecozone along its course, but especially in a large flat area known as the Inner Niger Delta which is located in the Mopti and southern Timbuktu regions. The dunes of the Erg Ouagadou loosely funnel the waters of the delta north and east through this area. The delta is a mix of channels, swamps, and lakes, expanding to cover 20,000 square kilometres during roughly four months of the cold season (approximately mid-November to mid-March) and contracting to 3900 square kilometres before the river starts to rise again in June. The desert ecosystem is located in the Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal regions, where rainfall averages are lower than 250 millimetres per annum. …