NAIROBI, Kenya – Burkina Faso has once again been identified as the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) annual report released on June 3.
The West African nation experienced a record-high 707,000 new displacements in 2023, spurred by escalating violence and a worsening humanitarian situation.
The NRC’s report highlighted that nine out of the ten most neglected crises were in Africa, with Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Mali, and Niger ranking second to fifth, respectively.
The NRC evaluates neglected displacement crises based on three criteria: insufficient humanitarian funding, lack of media coverage, and inadequate international political and diplomatic response relative to the number of people in need.
The 2023 report underscored a historic shortfall in global aid budgets, amounting to approximately $32 billion, resulting in more than half of worldwide humanitarian needs going unmet.
Burkina Faso received only 37% of the requested humanitarian funding, leaving a substantial gap in aid.
“The utter neglect of displaced people has become the new normal,” stated Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the NRC.
“The local political and military elites disregard the suffering they cause, and the world is neither shocked nor compelled to act by stories of desperation and record-breaking statistics. We need a global reboot of solidarity and a refocus on where needs are greatest.”
The report noted that media coverage and international political engagement with the crisis in Burkina Faso were minimal in 2023.
The challenging security situation and restricted access for journalists and humanitarian organizations have contributed to this decline.
Burkina Faso has been under military rule since a coup in July 2022, with the junta led by acting president Captain Ibrahim Traoré prioritizing security amid frequent attacks.
In April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that the country’s military killed over 200 civilians accused of collaborating with armed groups, potentially amounting to war crimes.
The government has strongly denied these allegations.
Violence-related deaths in Burkina Faso doubled in 2023, with recurrent attacks often attributed to terrorists.
The murder of two Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) aid workers in February 2023 led the organization to suspend its activities in the region.
By the year’s end, up to two million people were trapped in 36 blockaded towns, with over 40,000 facing catastrophic food insecurity.
Egeland emphasized the increasing difficulty of reaching those in need due to dangerous roads and the high cost of minimal air services.
He called on donors and humanitarian organizations to prioritize overlooked areas to prevent them from being forgotten.
