Your trusted source

Clashes between armed groups in northern Mali have forced almost 60,000 people to flee their homes in the past month, the United Nations refugee agency said Friday, amid escalating violence that threatens to derail U.N.-brokered peace efforts, Reuters reports.

A ceasefire deal was signed between the government, its allies and northern separatist groups last year, but violations have increased since pro-government fighters seized the flashpoint town of Menaka late last month.

Mali's government and allied militia signed up to a U.N.-backed peace deal in March, but Tuareg-led rebels said more talks were needed, delaying international efforts to restore order to a zone awash with separatist and Islamist gunmen.

"The volatile security situation is hindering access for humanitarian workers to all affected areas and the growing insecurity in the region is making the provision of protection and assistance to the newly-displaced very challenging," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler said in a statement.

Tens of thousands of people have fled their villages in Gao, Mopti and Timbuktu in northern Mali in recent weeks due to fear of violence or forced recruitment by armed groups, and many are sleeping outdoors, according to the UNHCR.

Hundreds of refugees have also crossed into neighbouring Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso since the end of April.