International refugee aid and social change in northern Mali

It has been recognised that the experience of forced migration can lead to profound social transformations among the persons who have been displaced. The wider the cultural difference between the traditional lifestyle of the beneficiaries and the approach adopted by the aid agencies, the greater the impact of such aid programmes is likely to be. This paper constitutes a case study as it focuses on the experience of persons forcibly displaced due to the armed conflict in northern Mali (1990-95). Many of the refugees involved belonged to an ancient nomadic culture and, until their exodus, had had only sporadic contact with the services aid agencies and modern governmental institutions are able to provide.