Elevated assistance needs persist in insecure areas of northern and central Mali

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The increasing number of security incidents in several regions of the country, including the south and west, is disrupting economic activities and market supply, and causing forced displacement in Gao, Kidal, Ménaka, and San regions, as well as the northern parts of Ségou and Koulikoro. Insecurity-driven losses of property/assets and impacts to economic activities are reducing households' abilities to meet their basic needs. Since early September, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) has declared a blockade on major fuel and food supply corridors, leading to transport disruptions. This will likely drive increased prices of basic goods and further weaken the national economy. In addition, the growing influx of Burkinabe refugees — especially in the Koro district, where refugee numbers have nearly doubled since April 2025 — is placing additional pressure on already limited resources.
Seasonal improvement in food access is increasing in the southern agricultural areas of the country, due to the availability of early green harvests of maize, legumes (peanuts, cowpeas), fonio, and wild food products, marking the end of the lean agropastoral season. Starting in October, the availability of harvests — even if poor in some areas — along with in-kind payments for agricultural labor, livestock and gathered products, and the decline in food prices will enable households to have average access to food. As a result, food security will improve seasonally, reducing the need for humanitarian assistance (except in insecure areas where assistance needs will remain high due to the significant impacts of insecurity on income and food sources).
The progress of the agricultural season is generally average across the country (Cellule de Planification et de Statistique du Services de Développement Rurale). However, reduced cultivated areas, difficulties accessing agricultural inputs (fertilizers, pesticides), and damage caused by pests are expected to result in below-average production in some areas — including key production zones (the Ségou drainage basin, Sikasso, and Mopti) — especially in insecure areas where farmland has been abandoned. Early harvests of maize, fonio, and certain legumes (cowpeas, peanuts, voandzou) are underway and are providing moderate food and income for households. In contrast, livestock product availability (such as milk, butter, and cheese) remains below average in insecure zones due to livestock losses from theft/looting and excessive distress sales.
Market supply is generally satisfactory except in insecure areas where physical access is limited, particularly in the regions of Ménaka and Kidal, where armed groups have imposed blockades. In the southern agricultural zones, seasonal improvement is expected in October with destocking and new harvests. Staple cereal prices are at or below average in the southern agricultural regions (Ségou, Sikasso, Mopti, Koulikoro, Kayes), but significantly higher in the North, especially in Kidal (+92 percent) and Ménaka (+47 percent), while remaining near average in Gao and Timbuktu. These high prices limit poor households’ access to markets. The livestock-to-cereal terms of trade are stable in Gao and Timbuktu, increasing in Mopti and Nara, but sharply decreasing in Kidal and Ménaka (-27 percent).
Significant damage from flooding caused by heavy rains has been recorded across the country (mainly in the regions of Dioila, Koulikoro, Bamako, Ségou, Kayes, and Sikasso) and affected property, assets, public infrastructure, housing, food stocks, livestock, and crops. According to the Monitoring Commission, as of September 16, 20,296 disaster-affected individuals had been recorded, including 23 deaths. Affected households and refugees temporarily sheltered in schools or with neighbors are extremely vulnerable due to the massive losses incurred, which reduce their ability to meet their food needs and restore lost assets. Emergency assistance in the form of food, healthcare, and shelter has been reported by the government and certain humanitarian partners.

Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Mali Key Message Update September 2025 - January 2026: Elevated assistance needs persist in insecure areas of northern and central Mali, 2025.

This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.