For the second year in a row, Burkina Faso has been named the world’s most neglected displacement crisis by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
The NRC’s annual report, released on Monday, highlighted a record-high of 707,000 new displacements in 2023 due to escalating violence and a worsening humanitarian situation.
Nine out of the ten most neglected crises are in Africa, with Cameroon, Central African Republic, Mali, and Niger ranking second to fifth, respectively. The NRC’s criteria for determining neglected displacement crises include lack of humanitarian funding, lack of media attention, and insufficient international political and diplomatic initiatives relative to the number of people in need.
The 2023 report underscored a record-breaking aid budget shortfall of around $32 billion, leaving more than half of global humanitarian needs unmet.
Neglect as the New Normal
NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland lamented the growing indifference towards displaced people. “The utter neglect of displaced people has become the new normal,” Egeland said. He criticized local political and military elites for ignoring the suffering they cause and the international community for failing to respond to desperate situations.
The NRC’s report noted that media coverage and international political engagement with Burkina Faso’s displacement crisis were minimal in 2023, with only 37% of the requested humanitarian funding received. Access difficulties for journalists and humanitarian organizations further compounded the issue.
Military Rule and Human Rights Concerns
Burkina Faso has been under military rule since a coup d’état in July 2022. The junta, led by acting president Captain Ibrahim Traore, has focused on security amid frequent attacks. However, a Human Rights Watch report in April accused the military of killing over 200 civilians in a campaign against those suspected of collaborating with armed groups, allegations the government strongly denies.
In response to the accusations, Burkina Faso’s media regulatory body temporarily suspended several Western news organizations, including TV5 Monde, Le Monde, the Guardian, BBC Africa, and VOA.
Ongoing Crises Across Africa
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been listed among the most neglected crises for the eighth consecutive year, with approximately 6.9 million people displaced by the end of 2023. A lack of aid has forced many to resort to negative coping mechanisms, including transactional sex for survival.
Sudan, experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis since the outbreak of war in April last year, ranks tenth. The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, over eight million internally displaced people, and nearly 25 million in need of aid, yet remains significantly underfunded and underreported.
Impact on Civilians
Violence-related deaths in Burkina Faso doubled in 2023. The country faces recurrent attacks, often attributed to “terrorists.” The murder of two Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aid workers in February 2023 led to the suspension of MSF activities in the region. By year’s end, up to two million people were trapped in 36 blockaded towns, with over 40,000 facing catastrophic food insecurity.
A displaced mother, Asseta, shared her harrowing experience with NRC researchers: “When we have nothing to cook, I pick leaves and boil them in water.”
Egeland emphasized the increasing difficulty of reaching those in need due to dangerous roads and prohibitively expensive minimal air services. “Donors and humanitarians must prioritize areas that are out-of-sight to ensure they do not become out-of-mind,” he urged.
The NRC projects that around 6.3 million people in Burkina Faso will need humanitarian assistance in 2024, with over two million remaining internally displaced. Hundreds of civilians have already been killed in attacks this year, highlighting the urgent need for increased humanitarian support and international attention to the crisis.
