The Foreign Service Journal, March 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2013 27 this pattern was some southward migration to join family members who had previously migrated there for work. Those seeking refuge largely do so with host families, something facilitated by government authorities. Because of these mobility patterns, IOM focuses on assisting local authorities to make this host system sustain- able through, among other measures, efforts to strengthen host-family resilience and keep them from becoming more vulnerable because of the resources they use for their guests. This approach is quite different from a typical shelter response involving tents and tarpaulins. The conflict also disrupts migration-linked livelihoods and food supplies, an analysis that shapes IOM planning for reintegration and recovery projects. As in crises in many other countries, the fighting in Mali has curtailed countertrafficking efforts in this major route for irregular migration toward Europe. This means that there is a need to strengthen border management in the region, focusing particularly on disrupting human trafficking. Flags flutter above a refugee camp in Uganda. Wendy Henning