Coronavirus: health workers return to Kidal, northern Mali

A street in Kidal. (Drawing). KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

In Kidal, in northern Mali, despite the arrival on the spot for several months of a regional governor representing the state, the city is still under the control of the ex-rebels. Health workers and the regional health director were forced to leave town. Thanks to an arrangement obtained by the Malian Minister of Health who completed a Saturday May 2 on site, their return has been announced.

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With our correspondent in Bamako, Serge Daniel

At the beginning of April, in a document entitled "Memorandum", signed by Kidal, in the north of Mali, the coordination of the movements of Azawad (CMA, the ex-rebellion) made a decision public. Its "health" commission is "  the only legitimate contact for all partners working in the health sector in Kidal  ".

However, on the spot, the redeployment of the State takes place. Officers from the Regional Health Department are present. But the current does not pass between them and the ex-rebelion. Distrust? Misunderstanding? To make matters worse, these officers sample suspected cases of Covid-19 from UN officials on the spot. These agents feel undesirable and leave voluntarily according to some, forcibly according to others, the place.

During his stay in Kidal, the Malian Minister of Health seems to have solved the problem. "  Above all, this visit helped to clear up misunderstandings and facilitate the return of our health workers who had left Kidal,  " said Michel Sidibé. One of the state health workers in Kidal interviewed by RFI said that he and his colleagues hoped to be able to work freely.

► Read also: Coronavirus in Mali: the Minister of Health on mission in the country

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  • Mali
  • Coronavirus
  • Health and Medicine

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