The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called for international attention to the humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, where almost 5 million people currently require humanitarian assistance. In a statement Thursday, the non-governmental organization (NGO) said that over 800,000 women, men, and children live in 26 cities under blockade with limited or no access to basic necessities which has led to an unprecedented food crisis.
An estimated 2.2 million people are currently suffering from hunger in Burkina Faso, with that figure expected to rise to 3.3 million by September 2023. Among these, nearly 650,000 individuals are facing extreme hunger, meaning people are already starting to lose their lives from a lack of food (IPC phase 4 and 5).
IRC is warning of the potential 50 percent rise of people experiencing hunger in the country in the next two months if immediate action is not taken. Approximately 400,000 children under the age of five in the country will likely suffer from acute malnutrition during the lean season of 2023, according to estimates.
"I recently returned from Burkina Faso and witnessed the gravity of the humanitarian situation firsthand. Several towns, including Djibo, are under blockade, making it impossible for families to afford basic necessities", Modou Diaw, Regional Vice President for IRC West Africa, said.
“Despite the efforts made by different actors to bring supplies into the city, Djibo, which was once a well-known market in the region, is now nearly a ghost town.”
Djibo hosts a large internally displaced population and is currently under siege by non-state armed groups, severely affecting humanitarian access.
The 2023 humanitarian response plan (HRP) for Burkina Faso is severely underfunded, with nutrition services funded at less than 25 percent of the total required to meet the needs of people experiencing extreme hunger. IRC is calling for international leaders and donors to fully fund the Burkina Faso HRP and for key stakeholders to engage in meaningful dialogue to garner access to populations most in need of humanitarian assistance.
"The humanitarian community must reaffirm its commitment to engage with all actors in order to gain access to people trapped in besieged cities across Burkina Faso. It is crucial that the HRP is fully funded, including specifically nutrition services and commodities, to address drivers of food insecurity and to prevent the number of people going hungry to double before the year ends", Diaw said.
According to the International Rescue Committee, the number of closed health facilities due to insecurity in Burkina Faso continues to rise, with 195 closures in August 2022 compared to 183 in August 2021, depriving the population of essential health services and restricting access to services for preventing and treating malnutrition. The security crisis is also negatively impacting education in Burkina Faso, with over 6,000 schools closed due to conflict and insecurity in many towns.
The country’s Sahel region is extremely affected by insecurity and difficulties in accessing markets. Several towns, for example Djibo, in Burkina Faso are not accessible by land or are under blockade, leaving people unable to afford basic necessities such as food or access essential services.
The IRS says food assistance efforts by Burkinabe authorities and humanitarian organizations remained insufficient, and it was imperative to urgently find more sustainable and cost-effective solutions. The Cadre harmonisé food security analysis indicates that, for the first time since data collection began, nearly 40,000 people are facing catastrophic hunger (IPC phase 5).
Burkina Faso’s decline since the crisis broke out five years ago has been rapid and devastating. While in 2022, 3.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in Burkina Faso, by the start of 2023, this number has skyrocketed to 4.9 million people.
More than 2 million people have been forced to flee their homes, and nearly a quarter of the population in Burkina Faso now requires humanitarian aid. Across the country, 800,000 people are living in areas under blockade by armed groups, where they have no access to even basic services. Sources on the ground say, the situation is increasingly dire, with some people forced to eat leaves to survive.
The international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned in an analysis, released in June, that the situation in Burkina Faso was "the world’s most neglected displacement crisis". A United Nations early warning report, issued in May, found that Burkina Faso was among the world’s “hunger hotspots of highest concerns”, where humanitarian actions are critical in preventing further starvation and death.
Further information
Full text: Food security in Burkina Faso is worsening amid continued conflict, warns IRC, International Rescue Committee (IRC), press release, July 20, 2023
https://www.rescue.org/press-release/food-security-burkina-faso-worsening-amid-continued-conflict-warns-irc