Africa

Violence displaces over 1.8M people in Burkina Faso

Drought in Sahel region pushes more than 10.5M people into malnutrition, says ICRC

James Tasamba  | 12.05.2022 - Update : 12.05.2022
Violence displaces over 1.8M people in Burkina Faso Demonstration in Burkina Faso after the coup

KIGALI, Rwanda 

Violence has internally displaced over 1.8 million people in Burkina Faso, almost 10% of the country’s population, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Wednesday, warning that the number keeps growing every day. 

The ICRC said the conflict has aggravated the food crisis in Burkina Faso, where 80% of the country’s population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods.

“Many of those displaced now rely on aid to survive, with 15% of the population in the country currently facing food insecurity,” the ICRC said in a statement.

The most vulnerable are pregnant women and newborn children, it said, adding that 1 in 10 children in Burkina Faso are facing malnutrition.

The compounding crises are pushing the country’s health care system to the brink.

The Sahel region is being hit by the worst drought in over a decade, pushing more than 10.5 million people into malnutrition, according to the ICRC.

Burkina Faso has been battling an insurgency that has spread from neighboring Mali over the past decade.

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