Over 380,000 men, women and children have so far been displaced by the Mali conflict since March of last year, of which over 210,000 have been internally displaced and over 160,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

Britain was one of the first countries to respond directly to the recent escalation in violence, and is supporting tried and trusted humanitarian agencies to provide food, urgent medicine and clean water inside Mali, as well as provide a comprehensive package of support to refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger.

Since the beginning of 2013, the UK has contributed £13 million of humanitarian aid to the Malian crisis, supporting over 400,000 Malians. This package of support is part of a £78 million humanitarian contribution to the Sahel region over the last year.