Mali refugee crisis - in pictures

Islamist rebels pictured near Timbuktu, in rebel-held northern Mali. In April rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) declared Azawad as an independent state Photograph: Romaric Ollo Hien/AFP/Getty Images Fighters from Islamist group Ansar Dine. Two main groups now appear to be competing to govern northern Mali: Ansar Dine, which wants to see sharia law brought to Mali, and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, who have already declared an independent state Photograph: AP Fighters from Ansar Dine stand guard during the handover of a Swiss hostage who was about to be taken by helicopter to neighbouring Burkina Faso Photograph: AP Malian troops who carried out a coup in March guard a street after renewed fighting in the capital, Bamako. Forces battled troops loyal to ousted president, Amadou Toumani Touré Photograph: Reuters A fighter from the Ansar Dine group makes a gesture Photograph: Ahmed Ouoba/AFP/Getty Images Malian citizens protest as leaders attend the Economic Community of West African States meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at which the Mali crisis and Guinea-Bissau coup were discussed Photograph: Luc Gnago/Reuters Malian refugees at the M'bere refugee camp, near Bassiknou in southern Mauritania, 37 miles from the border with Mali. Conflict between Tuareg rebels and Mali authorities has been ongoing since January sparking a growing humanitarian crisis Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images A Malian refugee holds her baby in the M'bere refugee camp near Bassiknou. More than 320,000 people have fled their homes in Mali since mid-January, with more than half seeking refuge in neighbouring countries Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images A young girl in the M'bere refugee camp. Humanitarian assistance is all the more critical because the Sahel region is facing a severe food crisis after several years of drought Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images A malnurished Malian child is weighed at the Médecins Sans Frontières medical centre in the M'bere refugee camp Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images A Malian child and his parents wait to be treated at M'bere refugee camp Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images Malian refugees set up a tent in the M'bere refugee camp, which receives an average of 1,000 refugees a day Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images Refugees stand at a water distribution point in the camp Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images Ibrahim Boubakr, a Malian refugee, arrives with family members at the M'bere camp Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images A sick child lays on a cart as she waits to be treated. Médecins Sans Frontières is bolstering its activities and emergency medical aid in the desert area, where access to medical care is extremely limited Photograph: ABDELHAK SENNA/AFP/Getty Images A woman tends to a malnurished child at the Medecins sans Frontires medical centre. Refugees are primarily Tuareg families from the Timbuktu region. They arrive here exhausted after a two-day journey by truck Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images A Malian refugee shouts for water at a distribution point in the M'bere refugee camp. A great number of people are suffering from respiratory infections and diarrhea owing to a lack of access to water, exposure to extreme temperatures, and frequent sand storms, according to MSF's medical co-ordinator Jean-Paul Jemmy Photograph: Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images