Since then, the crisis in Mali has continued to unfold unpredictably and has now resulted in a total of some 170,000 refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger in addition to an estimated 168,000 internally displaced persons within Mali. External and internal displacements continue, with the initial planning figures for this emergency having been exceeded already last month. At the current pace, the new planning targets could be surpassed by the close of the year. The current requirements for the response are more than double the initial projections, with the revised emergency response appeal now standing at US$153.7 million.
After my visit to Mauritania in March 2012, and my visit last month to Niger with the WFP Executive Director, I can confirm that the emergency response remains complex and ever-challenging on all fronts, while the different regional political, security, operational, and coordination aspects are asserting themselves in a more and more pronounced way. While acknowledging that all refugee situations present their particular needs, the unique challenges of the Mali Situation require designation of our emergency response there a corporate priority. I have asked DHRM and the Bureaux to approach staff members to respond to the staffing needs, and I urge you all especially managers to be sensitive to this request.
With the above in mind, and so as to ensure a coherent regional UNHCR response while the Mali Situation structure remains under review, I have decided to extend the appointment of Valentin as Regional Coordinator for the Mali Situation for a further six months to the end of November 2012 on the same terms as the original appointment. Based in Dakar, he will continue to report to the Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, and as concerns the response in Mauritania to consult with and keep informed the Director of the Regional Bureau for the Middle East and North Africa. During this period, Mr. Mathijs Le Rutte, the Deputy Regional Representative in Dakar, will continue to serve as Officer-in-Charge for the management of non-Mali situation activities in the sub-region.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to all staff engaged in the emergency response, and in particular for the efforts that Valentin has made so far in this temporary assignment and to look forward to him continuing to perform in the same manner. I count on the support of all colleagues at Headquarters and in the region to support him and Mathijs in the discharge of their respective responsibilities.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
António Guterres
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