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Mali: UN warning over refugees fleeing Tuareg rebellion
The UN says it is stepping up help for refugees fleeing Mali amid the resurgence in fighting
The UN says the number of Malian refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries to escape fighting between Tuareg rebels and the military has doubled over the past 10 days.
More than 44,000 thousand people have crossed into Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso.
Amnesty International described the fighting as the worst human rights crisis in northern Mali for 20 years.
The regional group Ecowas has condemned the Tuareg rebels for their offensive.
The Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA) took up arms last month following the return of many Tuareg fighters from Libya, where they had fought alongside Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
The BBC West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy says the area affected by the fighting is now relatively calm.
Both sides claim to control the north-eastern oasis town of Tessalit, near the border with Algeria.
The resurgence in fighting follows two years of relative peace between the government and the Tuareg.
