http://www.irinnews.org/Updated everydayen-gbTue, 07 May 2013 09:30:52 GMTTue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KATHMANDU 07 May 2013 (IRIN) - Refugees and asylum seekers face a host of challenges when crossing borders, but the obstacles are particularly pronounced for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) persons, say experts.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97989/The-plight-of-LGBTI-asylum-seekers-refugeesKATHMANDU 07 May 2013 (IRIN) - Refugees and asylum seekers face a host of challenges when crossing borders, but the obstacles are particularly pronounced for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) persons, say experts.]]>Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 17 April 2013 (IRIN) - Some 70,000 Malian refugees in Mauritania are facing enormous hardships and, as political and ethnic tensions persist back home, the prospect of a prolonged displacement.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97867/Malian-refugees-face-abject-conditions-long-displacementDAKAR 17 April 2013 (IRIN) - Some 70,000 Malian refugees in Mauritania are facing enormous hardships and, as political and ethnic tensions persist back home, the prospect of a prolonged displacement.]]>Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>MOPTI/BAMAKO 08 April 2013 (IRIN) - Ongoing fighting and the fear of reprisal killings has severely disrupted normal migration patterns for pastoralists in northern Mali, putting them and their families in danger of severe food insecurity and poverty as the lean season approaches.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97799/Mounting-crisis-for-conflict-hit-northern-Mali-pastoralistsMOPTI/BAMAKO 08 April 2013 (IRIN) - Ongoing fighting and the fear of reprisal killings has severely disrupted normal migration patterns for pastoralists in northern Mali, putting them and their families in danger of severe food insecurity and poverty as the lean season approaches.]]>Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 15 March 2013 (IRIN) - Aid workers and experts are calling for more attention to education in Mali, where 200,000 children are out of school due to the crisis but where money for emergency education has yet to come forward.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97656/Call-to-end-neglect-of-emergency-education-in-MaliDAKAR 15 March 2013 (IRIN) - Aid workers and experts are calling for more attention to education in Mali, where 200,000 children are out of school due to the crisis but where money for emergency education has yet to come forward.]]>Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 04 March 2013 (IRIN) - The annual gearing-up of humanitarian programmes to treat the chronic problems of vulnerable Sahelians is a clear sign that development there is not working. As a result, the Sahel is at the centre of the debate on the need to boost vulnerable people's resilience to shocks.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97590/Analysis-The-R-word-Rhetoric-versus-reality-in-the-SahelDAKAR 04 March 2013 (IRIN) - The annual gearing-up of humanitarian programmes to treat the chronic problems of vulnerable Sahelians is a clear sign that development there is not working. As a result, the Sahel is at the centre of the debate on the need to boost vulnerable people's resilience to shocks.]]>Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>JOHANNESBURG 27 February 2013 (IRIN) - New data from the World Bank has revealed that African migrants pay more to send money home to their families than any other migrant group in the world.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97557/African-migrants-pay-high-prices-to-send-money-homeJOHANNESBURG 27 February 2013 (IRIN) - New data from the World Bank has revealed that African migrants pay more to send money home to their families than any other migrant group in the world.]]>Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 19 February 2013 (IRIN) - The 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy calls for US$1.66 billion to help meet humanitarian needs and build up resilience among vulnerable groups - an identical figure to the 2012 crisis appeal - even though aid agencies estimate the number of Sahelians at risk of going hungry this year has dropped 44 percent to 10.3 million. IRIN spoke to aid agency representatives to find out why the ask has remained constant.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97505/Why-the-Sahel-needs-1-6-billion-again-this-yearDAKAR 19 February 2013 (IRIN) - The 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy calls for US$1.66 billion to help meet humanitarian needs and build up resilience among vulnerable groups - an identical figure to the 2012 crisis appeal - even though aid agencies estimate the number of Sahelians at risk of going hungry this year has dropped 44 percent to 10.3 million. IRIN spoke to aid agency representatives to find out why the ask has remained constant.]]>Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 18 February 2013 (IRIN) - Militant Islamists fleeing northern Mali under pressure from French forces could undermine security in neighbouring countries from where some of the fighters are believed to hail. They could also attract the support of sympathetic militias in the region, and even target countries with large expatriate communities, analysts say.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97494/The-regional-threat-posed-by-Mali-s-militantsDAKAR 18 February 2013 (IRIN) - Militant Islamists fleeing northern Mali under pressure from French forces could undermine security in neighbouring countries from where some of the fighters are believed to hail. They could also attract the support of sympathetic militias in the region, and even target countries with large expatriate communities, analysts say.]]>Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>KAEDI/NOUAKCHOTT/DAKAR 06 February 2013 (IRIN) - Despite a decent harvest and pasture coverage for livestock, aid agencies say they and donors must not underestimate vulnerability in Mauritania, having admitted they seriously underestimated the extent of the crisis in 2012 due to inadequate assessment systems and insufficient alarm calls to donors to respond.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97421/Don-t-underestimate-Mauritania-needs-say-aid-agenciesKAEDI/NOUAKCHOTT/DAKAR 06 February 2013 (IRIN) - Despite a decent harvest and pasture coverage for livestock, aid agencies say they and donors must not underestimate vulnerability in Mauritania, having admitted they seriously underestimated the extent of the crisis in 2012 due to inadequate assessment systems and insufficient alarm calls to donors to respond.]]>Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 21 January 2013 (IRIN) - Rains were decent across much of Mauritania in 2012 leading to hopes of a reasonable harvest. However, even in a good year farmers can produce a maximum five-month cereal supply - most small farmers produce much less - and most face 2013 with accumulated debts from previous years following decades of cyclical crises.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97299/Mauritania-s-farmers-struggle-to-pull-out-of-debt-trapDAKAR 21 January 2013 (IRIN) - Rains were decent across much of Mauritania in 2012 leading to hopes of a reasonable harvest. However, even in a good year farmers can produce a maximum five-month cereal supply - most small farmers produce much less - and most face 2013 with accumulated debts from previous years following decades of cyclical crises.]]>Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 18 January 2013 (IRIN) - Africa could reduce its poverty levels faster by focusing more on the production of staples rather than export crops, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97278/In-Brief-Staples-not-export-crops-key-to-tackling-Africa-s-poverty-reportNAIROBI 18 January 2013 (IRIN) - Africa could reduce its poverty levels faster by focusing more on the production of staples rather than export crops, according to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).]]>Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>BAMAKO/DAKAR 16 January 2013 (IRIN) - Fear and rumour are rife in Mali as French military air strikes against Islamist militants continued for the sixth day in the centre and north of the country.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97258/Fear-rumour-and-relief-as-air-strikes-continue-in-MaliBAMAKO/DAKAR 16 January 2013 (IRIN) - Fear and rumour are rife in Mali as French military air strikes against Islamist militants continued for the sixth day in the centre and north of the country.]]>Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR/NOUAKCHOTT 10 January 2013 (IRIN) - In Mbéra refugee camp in eastern Mauritania, home to 55,000 Malians, just under one child in five is malnourished, and 4.6 percent are severely malnourished - two to three times the national average, according to a just-released November survey by NGO Médecins sans Frontières (MSF).http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97217/Mauritanian-refugees-face-alarming-malnutrition-mortality-ratesDAKAR/NOUAKCHOTT 10 January 2013 (IRIN) - In Mbéra refugee camp in eastern Mauritania, home to 55,000 Malians, just under one child in five is malnourished, and 4.6 percent are severely malnourished - two to three times the national average, according to a just-released November survey by NGO Médecins sans Frontières (MSF).]]>Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>NOUAKCHOTT/DAKAR 09 January 2013 (IRIN) - Sequestering refugees in rural camps is no longer the norm: The most recent estimates indicate that almost half of refugees flock to urban areas and just one third to rural camps, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). But while agencies are adjusting their approaches, they are still struggling to match their response with their policies. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97203/The-urban-challenge-for-refugeesNOUAKCHOTT/DAKAR 09 January 2013 (IRIN) - Sequestering refugees in rural camps is no longer the norm: The most recent estimates indicate that almost half of refugees flock to urban areas and just one third to rural camps, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). But while agencies are adjusting their approaches, they are still struggling to match their response with their policies. ]]>Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT]]>PK6/ROSSO/NOUAKCHOTT 08 January 2013 (IRIN) - Nearly 25,000 Mauritanian refugees who had sheltered in Senegal for two decades after fleeing violence in 1989, have returned home since 2008, but despite extensive efforts to resettle them in their original villages many lack ID papers and/or access to their old farmland.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97187/Mauritania-s-ex-refugees-want-land-ID-cardsPK6/ROSSO/NOUAKCHOTT 08 January 2013 (IRIN) - Nearly 25,000 Mauritanian refugees who had sheltered in Senegal for two decades after fleeing violence in 1989, have returned home since 2008, but despite extensive efforts to resettle them in their original villages many lack ID papers and/or access to their old farmland.]]>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - Over 700,000 people could be displaced if military intervention goes ahead next year in northern Mali, according to preliminary estimates by humanitarian agencies, who stress that the numbers are just approximations.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97076/MALI-Humanitarian-impact-of-armed-interventionDAKAR 18 December 2012 (IRIN) - Over 700,000 people could be displaced if military intervention goes ahead next year in northern Mali, according to preliminary estimates by humanitarian agencies, who stress that the numbers are just approximations.]]>Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>NOUAKCHOTT 11 December 2012 (IRIN) - Dozens of slaves have escaped or been liberated since slavery was finally criminalized in Mauritania in 2007, but thus far just one slave-owner has been convicted and imprisoned, according to anti-slavery campaigners.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97016/MAURITANIA-Anti-slavery-law-still-tough-to-enforceNOUAKCHOTT 11 December 2012 (IRIN) - Dozens of slaves have escaped or been liberated since slavery was finally criminalized in Mauritania in 2007, but thus far just one slave-owner has been convicted and imprisoned, according to anti-slavery campaigners.]]>Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>NAIROBI 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96984/IDPs-African-IDP-Convention-comes-into-forceNAIROBI 06 December 2012 (IRIN) - The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on 6 December; it is the world’s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically to people displaced within their own countries.]]>Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 20 November 2012 (IRIN) - Health workers currently immunizing thousands of children and young adults against Meningitis A in Benin are currently doing so without having to spend days preparing ice packs and sourcing generators and fridges to load on trucks because the vaccine has now won approval for being kept at up to 40 degrees Celsius for as long as four days.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96827/HEALTH-Breaking-out-of-the-cold-chainDAKAR 20 November 2012 (IRIN) - Health workers currently immunizing thousands of children and young adults against Meningitis A in Benin are currently doing so without having to spend days preparing ice packs and sourcing generators and fridges to load on trucks because the vaccine has now won approval for being kept at up to 40 degrees Celsius for as long as four days.]]>Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 25 October 2012 (IRIN) - The Sahel food crisis this year put an estimated 18.7 million people at risk of hunger and 1.1 million children at risk of severe malnutrition, prompting the largest humanitarian response the region has ever seen and averting a large-scale disaster. But emergency responses are rarely smooth and there is always room for improvement. IRIN spoke to Sahel aid practitioners, analysts and donors to discuss what hampered the response, and what needs to be done to improve response in the future.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96638/Analysis-Sahel-crisis-lessons-to-be-learntDAKAR 25 October 2012 (IRIN) - The Sahel food crisis this year put an estimated 18.7 million people at risk of hunger and 1.1 million children at risk of severe malnutrition, prompting the largest humanitarian response the region has ever seen and averting a large-scale disaster. But emergency responses are rarely smooth and there is always room for improvement. IRIN spoke to Sahel aid practitioners, analysts and donors to discuss what hampered the response, and what needs to be done to improve response in the future.]]>Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 25 October 2012 (IRIN) - Swarms of desert locusts are likely to migrate to Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco in the coming weeks from West Africa and the Sahel region, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which urges the four countries to prepare for pest control.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96635/FOOD-SECURITY-Locust-warning-for-northwest-AfricaDAKAR 25 October 2012 (IRIN) - Swarms of desert locusts are likely to migrate to Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco in the coming weeks from West Africa and the Sahel region, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which urges the four countries to prepare for pest control.]]>Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>DAKAR 24 October 2012 (IRIN) - Sahelians are used to living on the edge and doing all they can to overcome adversity. In 2011, the combined shocks of ongoing high food prices, an end to remittances from Libya, poor harvests across much of the region, and conflict in northern Mali, had a disproportionate effect on the fragile food security situation and the region’s economy: An estimated 18.7 million people are at risk of hunger and 1.1 million at risk of severe malnutrition this year.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96632/SAHEL-What-went-right-in-the-crisis-responseDAKAR 24 October 2012 (IRIN) - Sahelians are used to living on the edge and doing all they can to overcome adversity. In 2011, the combined shocks of ongoing high food prices, an end to remittances from Libya, poor harvests across much of the region, and conflict in northern Mali, had a disproportionate effect on the fragile food security situation and the region’s economy: An estimated 18.7 million people are at risk of hunger and 1.1 million at risk of severe malnutrition this year.]]>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 09 October 2012 (IRIN) - On the sidelines of a recent presentation he made in Bangkok on disaster prevention and preparedness, IRIN spoke to Jan Egeland, deputy director of Human Rights Watch, about progress on the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS).http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96495/CLIMATE-CHANGE-Human-Rights-Watch-s-Jan-Egeland-calls-for-faster-progressBANGKOK 09 October 2012 (IRIN) - On the sidelines of a recent presentation he made in Bangkok on disaster prevention and preparedness, IRIN spoke to Jan Egeland, deputy director of Human Rights Watch, about progress on the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS).]]>Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>BANGKOK 09 October 2012 (IRIN) - Services to inform communities about the climate are available in higher-income countries, but are not reaching the people most in need of them in developing countries due to lack of government investment and a disconnect between experts and communities facing extreme weather.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96493/CLIMATE-CHANGE-Tackling-the-information-voidBANGKOK 09 October 2012 (IRIN) - Services to inform communities about the climate are available in higher-income countries, but are not reaching the people most in need of them in developing countries due to lack of government investment and a disconnect between experts and communities facing extreme weather.]]>Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT]]>ARI HARA/JOHANNESBURG 01 October 2012 (IRIN) - Women are pioneering Mauritania’s fledgling dairy industry and trying to get Mauritanians to support local small producers, but they face steep competition from the heavily subsidized European milk sector.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96427/MAURITANIA-Foreign-subsidies-sour-domestic-milk-industryARI HARA/JOHANNESBURG 01 October 2012 (IRIN) - Women are pioneering Mauritania’s fledgling dairy industry and trying to get Mauritanians to support local small producers, but they face steep competition from the heavily subsidized European milk sector.]]>