On May 9, Ambassador Tulinabo Mushingi and his delegation traveled to Soum Province in the North of Burkina Faso.
After landing in Djibo, His Excellency, who invited the Ministry of Homeland Security, Simon Compaoré, to come with him, headed for the Mentao Refugee Camp. There, he met with some of the nearly 13,000 residents of the camp, listening as they described their daily realities. He then visited the health center, the pharmaceutical depot, and one of the three primary schools in the camp. The United States is the largest single contributor of humanitarian assistance to Malian refugees, having provided more than $105 million for the Mali regional crisis in 2015 and 2016 to date.
This year, The United States has approved $17 million to help Malian refugees living in the three primary host countries. The field visit comes in the context of ongoing efforts to counter violent extremism. The Ambassador congratulated the refugees for their resilience to extremist recruiters who target such vulnerable populations.
