The situation in Mali is serious. A military group has overthrown the government, arrested many ministers, dissolved all institutions and the constitution, and the president is in hiding. They have imposed a curfew that is - as of now - ending on Tuesday. They are patrolling the streets and firing into the air. We are thankful we are so far out at the edge of town. They have closed all borders and airports, and all gas stations and shops. Today we did not have any problems buying food at the market.

We were just about to withdraw some money, so we do not have much on our base. It's sufficient until Tuesday. Unclear is whether food will continue to be available, as there is no vehicle circulation and therefore no supplies can be restocked by vendors.

There is relative calm as of now (2 people have been killed, 6 injured in total, they say), but with people already hungry, the markets running out of food could be volatile.

Please pray for us. Pray for everything to be resolved peacefully, and for the country to be able to function again. I'm keeping everyone updated on Facebook.

A BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17462111

A STANDARD article (German): http://derstandard.at/1332323463366/Putschisten-uebernehmen-Macht-und-verhaengen-Ausgangssperre?seite=1#forumstart

We are asking for your prayers.

Claudia