the UNHCR expressed alarm at the recent escalation of violence against civilians by armed groups in Burkina Faso which has forced thousands to flee, putting humanitarian resources under pressure as insecurity continues to plague the central Sahel.

Since June 12, nearly 16,000 Burkinabé, mainly women and children, have arrived in Dori, in eastern Burkina Faso. The Seytenga attack was condemned by the international community, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calling it in a press release “appalling”.

“These civilians fled after a brutal attack by armed men in Seytenga, a town 15 kilometers from the border with Niger,” Matthew Saltmarsh told a regular UN press briefing in Geneva. UNHCR spokesperson, noting that other people should arrive in the coming days in this locality.

The deadliest incident since the Solhan massacre

At the same time, other civilians even crossed the international borders of Burkina Faso. At this stage, the UNHCR notes that nearly 360 people have crossed the Tillabéri region in Niger, adding to the 15,500 Burkinabé nationals who were already there and who were forced to flee.

“Authorities and local people in the town of Tera have welcomed and housed the new arrivals, even though most Nigerien families are destitute themselves,” Mr. Saltmarsh added.

Since 2015, like its neighbors Niger and Mali, Burkina Faso has been targeted by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) organization. The latest attack took place on the night of June 11-12. According to the UNHCR, at least 79 people were killed by armed men during this attack, but some media report an even heavier toll, argued the UNHCR spokesman. Various media reports report at least 86 dead. For the UN, it is “the deadliest incident in Burkina Faso since the Solhan massacre in June 2021, which killed more than 130 people”.

The city of Dori is home to nearly 76,000 displaced Burkinabes and 20,000 Malian refugees

On the ground, new arrivals in Dori told UNHCR teams that armed men were going door to door searching for and killing adult men. This means that many have witnessed the death of their husbands or fathers. “Nearly two-thirds of the people who fled Seytenga are under 18,” Mr. Saltmarsh said.

Many have been accommodated by the host community and by displaced families already residing in Dori, while others have found space in reception and transit centers for refugees. But hundreds of people are sleeping rough by the side of the road. With these successive waves of displacement, the city of Dori has increased fivefold. It is now home to nearly 76,000 displaced Burkinabes, as well as some 20,000 Malian refugees.

Faced with this influx, the regional authorities, with the support of humanitarian organizations, have started to rehouse families sleeping rough in three existing sites in Dori for refugees and internally displaced persons, while additional plots have been identified to accommodate potential future arrivals.

“UNHCR is also working to identify new arrivals with protection needs, such as children and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and connect them to appropriate care,” Saltmarsh noted. .

The “world’s fastest” internal displacement crisis

Since 2015, attacks attributed to jihadist groups have left thousands dead and nearly two million displaced in Burkina. According to UNHCR, the displacement crisis in Burkina Faso is one of the “fastest growing in the world”.

The number of internally displaced persons thus reached 1.9 million at the end of April, according to government figures. Other countries in the Sahel – Chad, Mali and Niger – are also facing a combination of violence, poverty and the effects of climate change. More than 2.5 million people have fled their homes in the Sahel region over the past decade. In Burkina Faso, the most urgent needs are for shelter and essential items, water, sanitation and hygiene services, and psychosocial support.

“However, non-state armed groups have attacked water supplies and infrastructure in the country, including a recent attack on Dori’s main water supply, and water, sanitation and hygiene needs could increase rapidly,” regretted the UNHCR spokesperson. Despite these acute and growing needs, the call for funds of 110 million dollars for 2022 is only 20% funded to date.