Mali’s Flood of Refugees From Northern War Presses Families

Abdou Maiga was sent four teenagers at first, then five more when it became clear that schools in the rebel-controlled Malian city of Timbuktu weren’t going to reopen. Two months ago, he convinced his parents to join the northerners fleeing to the south.

Timbuktu is in control of Islamists, less than two weeks after the start of French airstrikes on insurgent-held towns in Mali. That prompted at least 7,500 people to flee their homes, the United Nations Refugee Agency said yesterday. The Malian and French armies have reclaimed three towns and halted a rebel advance toward Bamako, the capital. The U.S. is providing France airlift support and intelligence, the Pentagon said yesterday.