More than one million people need urgent help in Burkina Faso

Ouagadougou, 14 February. Burkina Faso is facing an unprecedented humanitarian emergency caused by persistent insecurity in the Centre-Nord, Est and Nord regions. With 1.2 million people in critical need of assistance, the Government and the humanitarian community today launched an Emergency Plan appealing for $100 million to provide food, water, shelter, healthcare and protection to 900,000 people hardest-hit by the crisis.

"Humanitarian needs have increased significantly over the past year. We need to quickly step up our efforts to save lives and alleviate the suffering of women, children and men grappling with extreme devastation due to forced displacement, " said Metsi Makhetha, the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Burkina Faso.

“We must act now and work together to prevent this crisis from spiralling out of control. The humanitarian community is collaborating closely with the Government and will deepen cooperation with development, financial, private organizations and other actors in efforts to address the insecurity, and seek lasting solutions for communities to prosper, " Ms. Makhetha said.

The Emergency Plan aims to assist people most affected by the insecurity, including in communities hosting displaced people, and highly vulnerable families struggling with food insecurity and malnutrition. This year, around 676,000 people are at risk of food insecurity, and 130,000 children are threatened by severe acute malnutrition.

"Given the importance of the Emergency Plan for Burkina Faso in the current situation, I urge all technical and financial partners, the private sector, civil society and the media to support us in its implementation. Our common goal is to ensure dignity and protection for the affected population, and we are determined and committed to achieve this goal, "said Hélène Marie Laurence Ilboudo / Marchal, Minister in charge of humanitarian action.

Growing insecurity has already forced 83,000 people to flee their homes, half of them fleeing violent attacks and clashes in the last two months. Armed attacks have forced more than 1,000 schools to close, depriving 150,000 children of education in a region already characterised by low enrolment rates. Around 120,000 people have no access to medical care as health centres in the violence-affected regions have shut down or reduced services.

This Plan is the result of consultations between the Government and humanitarian actors. It aims to address existing challenges and ensure the efficient coordination and delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the year.

For more information, please contact:
Otto Bakano, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), +22607494028, [email protected]