Algeria to send aid to Malian refugees

The Algerian government is to provide humanitarian aid to Malians fleeing fighting between Tuareg rebels and the Malian army, Algeria’s Minister in charge of Maghreb and Africa Affairs, Abdelkader Messahel has said. Around 65,000 refugees have taken asylum in Niger, Algeria, Burkina-Faso and Mauritania, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday. Messahel stated on the sidelines of talks with Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Djibril Bassole in Algiers that aid will be provided this weekend to Malian refugees who left the north of the country due to violence. The Algeria Press Service added that an “urgent political solution” was needed for the crisis in northern Mali, with respect for the \"territorial unity of the country\" and direct negotiations between the Malian government and opposition. Malian forces have been fighting ,since January 17, Tuareg rebels in several localities and bases in the northern part of the country.