UN urges Mali to hasten electoral registration for refugees

With the first round of Mali's presidential elections scheduled for Sunday, the U.N. refugee agency Tuesday called on Malian authorities to quickly make public voters lists and speed up distribution of electoral cards in neighboring states for out-of-country voters. "This is especially important as refugee camps and sites are located in remote areas, where access may become difficult with the rainy season now settling in," U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters in Geneva. Edwards added that Malian authorities have said that they are considering alternatives to allow refugees to vote in case of further delays. Burkina Faso, Mauritania, and Niger host some 173,000 refugees.