U.N peacekeepers in Mali provide free medical clinic in troubled region

The U.N mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has begun provision of free medical clinics in remote and previously inaccessible parts of Central Mali.

Ethnic violence in the region has exacerbated an already dire situation in Mali’s desert regions, which are used as a base by jihadist groups with ties to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

“Most of the patients are elderly people with chronic articular diseases, like arthritis, and ocular problems in particular. There are some illnesses that we can not treat with the limited resources that we have here. Diseases like cataracts and glaucoma…those are diseases that need more specialised treatment.“We do not have all the necessary paraphernalia, but we are doing our best even against the recurrent diseases we find”, said Lt. Tafsir Gueye, a Senegalese medical officer serving with MINUSMA.

Residents of settlements like Dangatene, expressed gratitude for the help.

“I am very relieved after being seen by the doctor. They are doing a great job”, said 62 year old medical patient, Kouny Werne.

The UN Security Council has deployed peacekeepers to the country, but there have been targets of a concerted guerilla campaign, making it the world’s deadliest peacekeeping operation to date.

Providing security and humanitarian services in this vast Western Africa’s Sahel region can be daunting.