The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has reported that over 480 civilians were killed in jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso between May and August this year.

The NGO also expressed alarm at the increase in the number of displaced people in recent months, with more than 275,000 people “forced to flee a new outbreak of violence“ since April.

Meanwhile, there is also a concern for thousands of people displaced due to the Jihadist activities. According to the NRC, an average of 55,000 people have been forced to flee their homes each month since April this year, which is almost three times the average monthly figure between October 2020 and March 2021.

In total, more than 1.4 million people have been forced to leave their homes in Burkina Faso due to the attacks, and the NRC blames it on insufficient help for the victims.

“The slowness and inadequacy of the humanitarian response are forcing people to choose between insecurity and hunger,” the NRC also warned in a statement.

The NGO further pointed to the ‘impossible choice’ of some families, stating that “staying in a besieged area where food shortages have become so critical that there are only leaves to eat or to walk for days in search of food and risk being attacked.”

Moreover, Manenji Mangundu, Director NRC in Burkina, also appealed to the government to allow NRC to provide support in the worst-affected areas. The north of the country has been particularly vulnerable. The North encompass a ‘three-border’ zone has been a hub for jihadist activities in recent years.

“Relief organisations have the capacity to help people in the most inaccessible areas where help is urgently needed.”
Manenji Mangundu

However, violence is fast spreading to other pockets of the country. According to an official, nearly 2,000 people have arrived in Mangodara in the past week to the south west, near the border with Côte d’Ivoire, after violence forced them to flee their villages. Some even took to crossing the Comoé River to avoid using roads.

Child trafficking

In a separate development, Burkina Faso authorities said they rescued over 500 children between January and September, 2021 from being trafficked to neighbouring countries to work in agriculture or small-scale mines.

Helene Marie Laurence Ilboudo, Minister for Humanitarian Action, told reporters after the government released figures that for some time now, the phenomenon affecting children has grown to worrying proportions in the country.

However, in 2020 alone, 2,318 children were intercepted through checks on buses or through denunciation, according to the ministry. The intercepted children were mostly under 16 and destined to work in plantations, artisanal mines or for domestic work in neighbouring countries to Burkina Faso.

Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s largest cocoa producer, is a major destination for child trafficking and has also intercepted and repatriated minors used for work in the fields, the ministry said.

In addition, 58 children found by security forces during various operations were handed over to social services, further highlighting the scale of the problem of homeless children living on the streets.

Meanwhile, government militants are working hard to combat the Jihadist influence in the region.