The forgotten crisis in Burkina Faso
Al Jazeera
For the second year in a row, Burkina Faso is the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, according to NRC.
Kongoussi, Burkina Faso – The refugee crisis in Burkina Faso, which has been engulfed in conflict since 2019, is the deepest of a number of neglected crises across Africa, according to a new report.
The West African country tops the list for neglected crises for the second year running, a report released by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Monday showed.
With a record-high 707,000 new displacements within the country’s borders, the humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso continued unabated in 2023, while hundreds of thousands of people were cut off from aid.
The number of people killed in violence doubled last year, with over 8,400 deaths. Meanwhile, the number of Burkinabe refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries almost tripled, reaching a total of 148,317 according to UNHCR figures.
An unprecedented 42,000 people suffered catastrophic levels of food insecurity and up to two million civilians were trapped in 36 blockaded towns across the country by the year’s end. As armed groups imposed movement bans, little to no humanitarian assistance reached some of these areas. At least half a million people were cornered into a near-total “aid blind spot”.
