Sahel Edition

Sahel: Insurgency is destabilizing Burkina Faso, with mass population displacementF

Posted On 25 July 2021

Number of times this article was read : 561

Record numbers of people in Burkina Faso have become internally displaced or fled abroad as a result of jihadist violence, the UN’s Refugee Agency said on Friday.  In the first half of 2021, 237,000 people fled to other parts of Burkina Faso, compared to 96,000 registered during the second half of 2020, it said in a statement. The figures bring the tally of internally displaced to 1.3 million — six percent of the population — in just over two years. “The speed of internal displacement shows no sign of slowing as attacks on civilians and security forces continue unabated,” the UNHCR said.

One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina has recorded more than 1,500 deaths since jihadists began to sweep in from neighbouring Mali in 2015. “UNHCR is equally alarmed by an acceleration in the numbers of  people from Burkina Faso forced to cross a border to reach safety,” the agency added. “Since January, more than 17,500 people have fled to neighbouring countries, nearly doubling the total number of refugees from the country in just six months. There are now 38,000 Burkinabe refugees and asylum seekers across the region.”

Of these, 20,000 are in Mali, followed by Niger, with 11,400. The UNHCR is appealing for $259 million (220 million euros) to meet its needs in the Sahel this year. “So far only half of the funds requested have been received,” it said.

AFP

More on the Sahel

West Africa: Jihadist Attacks Intensify in Northern Benin Amid Cross-Border Insurgency Pressure$

Jihadist attacks in northern Benin have intensified in recent weeks, with militants linked to JNIM claiming a deadly assault on a military position near the Niger border and carrying out additional raids on security posts along the country’s volatile frontiers with Burkina Faso and Nigeria. The violence underscores how northern Benin has become part of a wider cross-border insurgency spilling south from the central Sahel, even as authorities bolster Operation Mirador and try to prevent armed groups from entrenching themselves on Beninese soil.

Desert Locusts Stir Fresh Worries in North-West Africa$

Small desert locust swarms recently detected along the western Sahara corridor have prompted stepped-up monitoring across parts of North and West Africa, where shifting rainfall can quickly turn quiet desert areas into launchpads for wider infestations.

Mali Army, Russian Allies Accused of Executing Civilians Near Mauritania Border$

Seven Malian refugees traveling from Mauritania were allegedly executed by Malian soldiers and Russian Africa Corps personnel near Ahl El Kory, close to the Mauritanian border, after their vehicles were stopped on March 6. Local sources say the unarmed Fulani civilians were shot or had their throats cut, while other passengers were beaten, questioned as suspected jihadists, then released.