Roughly 9,000 were sheltered at the Goudoubo refugee camp but left following attacks and ultimatums by armed groups earlier this year. In addition to its own displacement crisis, Burkina Faso has also hosted nearly 20,000 refugees from neighbouring Mali for the past eight years. “Education also remains a priority, as over 2,500 schools have been forced to close after being targeted, thus affecting almost 350,000 students.” “They desperately need shelter, food, water, protection, health”, said Mr. People on the run are also facing the “devastating” impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The displaced have found refuge in host communities which are at “a breaking point” having to share scant resources, while also facing poverty, strained health services and rapidly disappearing livelihoods. “Attacks by armed groups in the north and east of the country have forced people to move multiple times and are set to push the numbers still higher”, said Babar Baloch, UNHCR Spokesperson in Geneva.
