Dutch aid to Mali partially on hold

The Netherlands has cut aid to Mali until further notice, in a reaction to the military coup that overthrew the country’s incumbent president last month. The Dutch Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ben Knapen said this in a letter to parliament.
The move doesn’t come as a surprise, as almost all the major donors have already done the same. However, Knapen stated in his letter that the Netherlands will continue to support Mali through non-governmental organisations that provide humanitarian aid. The droughts in the Sahel are alarming and the Dutch play an import role in helping the Malinese population, according to Knapen.
But the NGOs operating in Mali are facing difficulties in the northern part of the country, where Tuareg rebels are staging an uprising against the central government and al-Qaeda is active. Dutch NGO Oxfam Novib announced they have stopped their activities – mainly food distribution - in the region.
Lack of solidarity
The Dutch African Studies Centre (ASC) in Leiden is not happy with the Dutch government’s decision. It believes that the Netherlands has adopted the European Union’s policy too easily, without thinking about the consequences. Mirjam de Bruijn of the ASC:
“The Netherlands has been very important for Mali for a long time. We are one of its largest donors. I understand they don’t want to encourage the coup plotters, but the way the Dutch government is handling this case shows a lack of solidarity with the Malian population. It feeds the feeling that the West is letting the country down.”
50 million euros
This year the Netherlands was to donate a total of 50 million euros to Mali, most of which would have gone to the government. This part has now been put on hold. The money was to have gone towards education, food security, water use and sexual health projects.
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