Burkina Faso was already suffering from a serious food crisis and a considerable decline in access to water and essential social services. In addition, many people are at risk of dying due to inadequate protection and insufficient humanitarian aid, but also very little government responsibility.
Burkina Faso is among the 10 poorest countries in the world, experiencing a complicated and volatile crisis, which continues to deteriorate at high speed. Armed violence has resulted in massive population displacements, with a considerable increase in 2022 and primarily targeting civilians. According to the European Commission (2023), Almost 1.9 million people have been internally displaced because of violence, among whom there have been 940 000 children until the end of December 2022, fueling a serious humanitarian crisis, especially for women and children as the most vulnerable group.
Estimates have confirmed that one in four people need help and tens of thousands face catastrophic levels of starvation. As the country is suffering a serious food crisis and considerable decline in access to water and essential social services, many people are exposed to the risk of dying due to improper protection and insufficient humanitarian aid and government response (Africa news, 2023). A report by the European Commission showed that there were over 302000 new displaced people from January to December 2022, and more than 179000 malnourished children required life-saving treatment in 2022.
The widespread violence has severely affected citizens’ basic needs and income opportunities in almost 40% of the territory, increasing challenges people face to meet their needs. This deteriorating situation of human rights is intensified by the reduction in the capabilities of aid groups and humanitarian organizations to operate, necessitating prompt planning and decision-making by domestic and international institutions.