MALI: Some Aid Suspend in Kidal Amid Violence

"With fighting on 2 April between Tuareg rebels and government soldiers 20 km south of Kidal on the road to Gao, some aid agencies are suspending activities...'We have put our operations on hold and are watching developments closely,’ Patricia Hoorelbeke, head of the non-governmental organisation (NGO)’s Action Contre la Faim, told IRIN on 3 April...Oxfam refuses to use military escorts as it is against its policy. It is one of several aid workers based in Gao, 340 km south of Kidal, that are operating with extra caution, although the area has not yet been directly affected by the latest violence."