More than 300,000 people have fled northern Mali in search of food or safety after drought and rebel uprising . `` If she had stayed in the village , she would have died for sure , '' Dr. Oumar says . The U.N. refugee agency says the number is expected to rise as more refugees flee into neighboring countries such as Niger and Burkina Faso from Mali, which has been ravaged by a civil war since 2012. The International Rescue Committee is fighting to control malnutrition in the Kati district , near Bamako , which has been hard hit by the food crisis . Prolonged drought has destroyed food stocks in large areas of the Sahel region of West Africa .
More than 300,000 people have fled northern Mali in search of food or safety after drought and rebel uprising . The U.N. refugee agency says the number is expected to rise as more refugees flee into neighboring countries such as Niger and Burkina Faso from Mali, which has been ravaged by a civil war since 2012. The International Rescue Committee is fighting to control malnutrition in the Kati district , near Bamako , which has been hard hit by the food crisis . Prolonged drought has destroyed food stocks in large areas of the Sahel region of West Africa .