UN refugees chief calls for more efforts over Mali crisis

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called on the international community to do more to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Mali on Friday. Completing a visit to Burkina Faso, Antonio Guterres appealed the international community to get together to support Malian refugees and their host countries, and to make all efforts for a political solution to the crisis. He told reporters that the number of refugees from Mali has reached 260,000, and some 200,000 have been internally displaced. "Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso have kept their borders open and have shared their resources in a very difficult economic situation and in a very difficult food security situation for their own peoples," he said. However, Guterres said the humanitarian efforts are facing a funding gap. The UNHCR appealed for 153 million U.S. dollars in assistance for the Malian refugees, while until now it only projects to receive 60 million U.S. dollars, according to Guterres.