ICRC Says Planning To Intensify Efforts In Burkina Faso Amid Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2023) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is planning to intensify its efforts in Burkina Faso to help internally displaced persons and those affected by the persisting humanitarian crisis in the country, Mutsa Mugangavari, the deputy head of the ICRC regional delegation in Southern Africa, told Sputnik.

"The humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso remains worrying and the ICRC, in collaboration with the Burkinabe Red Cross, intends to intensify its actions for as long as necessary, in order to save lives and provide relief to people affected by armed violence," Mugangavari said.

The gravity of the problem is evident, as the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Burkina Faso surged from 47,000 in December 2018 to over 2 million in July 2023, the deputy head of the ICRC regional delegation stated, adding that of this number, 58% were children, while women represented 23%.

"Internal displacements in Burkina Faso are more and more prolonged and multiple. This was not the case two or three years ago. As a result, IDPs depend primarily on humanitarian aid to meet their most basic needs, especially food and water. Armed violence also affects the access of affected populations to health services at all levels," Mugangavari said.

In this regard, she noted that the work of the ICRC and the Burkinabe Red Cross Society as neutral and impartial humanitarian organizations was essential for the nation, since without their efforts and support of the local authorities, the affected communities living in landlocked areas would not be able to survive.

Thanks to the assistance provided by the ICRC, 38,234 IDPs benefited from the distribution of food in-kind and 2,513 people received food rations in cash from January to April 2023, Mugangavari told Sputnik. Moreover, 123,743 consultations were carried out and 246 injured were treated in hospital facilities supported by the organization. In addition, 10,000 IDPs and residents benefited from better access to drinking water, following the rehabilitation of 19 boreholes and the construction of a new one in the region, the deputy head of the ICRC regional delegation added.

Burkina Faso has been torn by an armed conflict between the government and Islamist rebels since 2015. Moreover, regular clashes happen between representatives of local communities. Ongoing violence has resulted in poverty, inequalities, food insecurity, and environmental change, with 4.7 million people across the country being in dire need of humanitarian assistance, the UN Refugee Agency estimates.