Complex and multifaceted crisis in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African country, is already suffering from recurring droughts and military coups, leading to a serious humanitarian crisis in the region.

Climate change is one of the increasingly influential factors negatively affecting the African continent through severe variations in rainfall, water shortage and low agricultural yield, amplifying drought risks and evaporation and reducing agricultural productivity. A poor country even by West African standards, landlocked Burkina Faso has suffered from recurring droughts and military coups, leading to a serious humanitarian crisis in the region.

Climate-induced disasters alongside a dramatic deterioration in security situation have resulted in a complex, multifaceted crisis in the West African landlocked nation. As stated by the UN Spokesperson, more than six million people across the country, comprising about a third of the population, need humanitarian support and protection.

Burkina Faso’s climate is prone to strong seasonal and annual variation due to its location in the hinterland and within the confines of the Sahara, making it vulnerable to chronic drought, flash floods, windstorms, and disease outbreaks from impacts of climate change. The eastern and southwestern parts of the country are increasingly hit by high temperatures and pockets of drought. The government is helping villagers dig wells and build small water reservoirs to better utilize the country’s scarce water resources.

The situation is worsened by the dramatic deterioration of the security conditions in Burkina Faso, where almost 1,800 people are reported to have been unlawfully killed between November last year and April. Despite substantial efforts by the government and other organizations, the humanitarian situation hasn’t improved enough to enable the reduction of vulnerability and needs of affected populations.

In 2023, new displacements were reported throughout the year, and the number of civilians affected by security incidents increased. Despite the goals to provide integrated and timely emergency humanitarian aid in 2024, only in one instance, over 220 civilians, including 56 children, were reportedly killed in by uniformed troops in two villages in the north on a single day in late February.

Although the UN and its humanitarian partners are supporting the Government’s efforts to meet people’s immediate needs, and aid organizations have also assisted more than 730,000 people across Burkina Faso in 2024, it represents just 19% of the 3.8 million people we are aiming to assist. The plan needs full funding to reach the most vulnerable population with assistance, including women, children and persons with disabilities.

References
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/06/1151636
https://una-socal.org/un-news/1151636/
Burkina Faso Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 At-A-Glance (Published March 2024) | OCHA (unocha.org)
https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/africa/burkina-faso#:~:text=This%20should%20amplify%20drought%20risks,for%20forest%20fires%20or%20bushfires.