Women and Girls Bear the Brunt of Mali's Escalating Security Crisis

• Ongoing conflict in Mali, involving various non-state armed groups, has created a severe security crisis that disproportionately impacts women and girls through sexual violence, displacement, and systemic human rights abuses.
• Humanitarian conditions are deteriorating due to sudden U.S. funding cuts, which have severed access to essential protection and health services for hundreds of thousands of people.
• Despite extreme vulnerability, local women's organizations are actively resisting by providing safe spaces and awareness campaigns, though they remain severely under-resourced.

Security and Humanitarian Crisis

• Since 2012, Mali has faced persistent instability driven by groups such as JNIM, AQMI, Katiba Macina, and the Islamic State Sahel Province (EIGS).
• Armed groups employ targeted violence to destabilize the state, frequently utilizing sexual violence as a tool of war, including rape, abduction, and sexual slavery.
• Forced marriage is a widespread issue, with one in two girls married before age 18, further exacerbated by poverty and insecurity.
• As of June 2025, there are over 402,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), with women and girls comprising 58 percent of that population.

Impact of Funding Cuts

• Recent U.S. budget cuts have forced the closure of key humanitarian programs.
• Over 191,000 people have lost access to critical gender-based violence (GBV) protection services.
• More than 200,000 individuals are now at risk due to the loss of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including maternal care and family planning.

Resilience and Advocacy

• Local groups, such as the Convergence of Rural Women for Food Sovereignty (COFERSA), are working to fill the void, creating support networks and demanding systemic change.
• Leaders like Alimata Traore highlight that women face intersectional discrimination in education, economic power, and political representation.
• Experts and civil society members emphasize that supporting local initiatives and prioritizing the protection of women is essential for long-term peace in the region.