“Communities in northern Mali are in need of humanitarian intervention following the recent military operations in Gao and Timbuktu, leading non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to call for deliveries of food aid, fuel and even currency notes,” Inter Press Service reports (Haddad, 2/5). On Tuesday, U.N. World Food Programme spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs said the agency “has re-launched its distribution of food and nutritional supplements” in northern Mali after halting operations when French troops launched an offensive nearly one month ago to stop the advance of insurgents, Press TV notes (2/5). “The European Commission has announced that it will release emergency aid worth 20 million euros for the West African country,” according to IPS, which adds, “The funds are highly needed, as residents of Gao and Timbuktu, the two largest cities of the north, are struggling to keep food on the table as supplies dry up” (2/5).