Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has seen 1.99 million internally displaced people flee violence perpetrated by jihadist groups (OCHA, 31 March 2023). The northern town of Djibo has now been under blockade by non-state armed groups for over a year and remains largely cut off from food and aid.

Since 2015, people in Burkina Faso have been living through a security crisis that has caused widespread displacement and untold distress. An estimated 1.9 million people have been forced to leave their homes, while more than 500 health facilities have closed or are operating at minimal capacity.

Following the attack on Solhan village in early June – the deadliest in the country’s recent history – MSF head of mission Dr Youssouf Dembélé describes the impact of the continuous violence on people caught up in one of the world’s fastest growing humanitarian crises in recent years.

The desert region of Sahel, in the north of Burkina Faso, is the driest and hottest part in the country. Since 2018, this region has been at the centre of a growing armed conflict, which has engulfed much of the greater African Sahel that covers also the neighboring countries. As a result, many communities in this region are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The world´s fastest-growing humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Burkina Faso. Over the past two years, escalating violence by armed groups in the north and east of the country has forced more than one million people to flee their homes.

The number of displaced people seeking safety in Burkina Faso’s Centre-North region has almost doubled in six months to 386,000, as a result of growing insecurity and violence.

Hassan Maïyaki is MSF´s Head of Mission in Burkina Faso. He explains the country's situation in the face of COVID-19, and the impact of the pandemic on public health.

Burkina Faso is experiencing a fast-growing humanitarian crisis with high numbers of people with COVID-19; access to healthcare in this insecure area has now become even more difficult.

Isabelle Defourny, MSF Director of Operations, was recently in Burkina Faso and raises the alarm on the humanitarian situation in the most conflict-affected areas of the country.

Burkina Faso has faced increased levels of violence in 2019, leading to an exponential growth of population displacement throughout the year. MSF launched several emergency projects to address the most urgent needs on the ground.

Beyond the support for medical care provided by MSF in Foubé and Barsalogho camps, the urgent needs of thousands of displaced people located in other areas of the North Center and Sahel regions should be addressed.