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A record number of people in Burkina Faso have been internally displaced or have fled abroad due to jihadist violence, the UN refugee agency said on Friday.
In the first half of 2021, 237,000 people fled to other regions of Burkina Faso, against 96,000 recorded in the second half of 2020, she said in a statement.
The figures bring the number of internally displaced people to 1.3 million – six percent of the population – in just over two years.
“The speed of internal displacement shows no signs of slowing down as attacks on civilians and security forces continue unabated,” UNHCR said.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina has recorded more than 1,500 deaths since jihadists began surging from neighboring Mali in 2015.
Burkina Faso. By (AFP) “UNHCR is also alarmed by the accelerating number of people from Burkina Faso forced to cross a border to find safety,” the agency added.
“Since January, more than 17,500 people have fled to neighboring countries, almost doubling the total number of refugees in the country in just six months. There are now 38,000 Burkinabé refugees and asylum seekers in the region.
Of these, 20,000 are in Mali, followed by Niger with 11,400.
UNHCR is appealing for $ 259 million (€ 220 million) to meet its needs in the Sahel this year.
“So far, only half of the requested funds have been received,” he said.
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