Caritas Burkina Faso Launches Emergency Appeal to Support Displaced People

Located with the conflict-ridden Sahel region, Burkina Faso has become the “epicentre for an ongoing regional conflict” leading to the displacement of almost one million people, officials of the Vatican-based organization have reported.

The situation in the landlocked country “is one of the most rapidly evolving displacement crises in the world and hundreds of thousands of people are hungry, thirsty and have no adequate shelter,” Caritas Internationalis leadership says.

“We often hear that the world has forgotten the crisis in the Sahel. Countries such as Burkina Faso are facing a variety of challenges and without help people are going to suffer terribly,” the Director of Caritas Burkina Faso, Fr. Constatin Sere has been quoted as saying.

He adds, “There is limited access to nutritious food for those who are displaced, nor do they have much access to water for drinking or for hygiene purposes.”

With the rainy season imminent, Fr. Constatin is concerned about the well-being of the “many people who lack adequate shelter to face the storms, winds and floods that will ensue over the next three to five months.”

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Amid the conflict, the head of Caritas Burkina Faso says Burkinabe people are hoping for peace and a return to normality.

“If you ask a displaced person what they desire most, they say they want to return to their villages. I fear that this won’t happen for a long time as the violence isn’t abating,” he says and adds, “In spite of the efforts of the State, armed groups continue to sow terror and take away lives in our country.”

According to a database of conflict incidents around the world, Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), out of the world’s 15 deadliest conflicts in 2019, Burkina Faso was the country that worsened the most.

The violence in the country has attracted the attention of various agencies and personalities including Pope Francis who, in November 2019, appealed for interreligious dialogue and harmony to end the protracted conflict.

Some days after the Holy Father’s appeal, the UN cautioned that the 19.75-million population country could become “another Syria” due to its entanglement in the jihadist insurgency that rocked the Sahel region starting early 2015.

Concerned about the soaring insecurity in the country, Bishops in Burkina Faso in June called for a “more vigorous and rigorous management of the situation” and underscored the role of the country’s security personnel as “paramount.”