Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is at the centre of armed violence in the Sahel. More than a million people have been displaced by increased violence since 2019 and key civilian facilities such as hospitals and schools have been rendered dysfunctional.

Students’ throats slit in East region
14 February 2025: In Balga town, Gourma province, East region, an unspecified number of students had their throats slit during class by an armed group.* Source: Hot News from the Sahel. Return to Burkina Faso home page. more
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2024 SHCC Factsheet (EN)

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Health Care

Insecurity Insight monitors attacks on health care in Burkina Faso, and based on its data, the Burkina Faso chapter (in English and French) of the 2024 Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) report Epidemic of Violence identified 22 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in Burkina Faso in 2024, compared to 51 in 2023 and 66 in 2022. In these incidents, five health workers were killed and medical supplies were looted. The actual number of incidents and the severity of the problem are likely much greater.

– Attacks on health care and broader violence and instability have exacerbated the weaknesses of the country’s health care system.

– Health workers were killed on accusations of collaborating with JNIM militants.

– Nearly one in three health facilities were impacted by violence, with hundreds closed or operating at minimum capacity.

Download the report data. Explore the data visually using our interactive map Attacked and Threatened: Health Care at Risk

Aid in Danger

Recurrent insecurity threatens access for aid agencies across Burkina Faso. Aid workers have repeatedly been kidnapped, killed and injured, often during hijackings of aid convoys. Insecurity Insight monitors such attacks as part of the Aid in Danger project. Our data is available for download here.

Education

Insecurity Insight monitors attacks on education in Burkina Faso. Our data is available for download here.

Such attacks are especially common in the Est, Boucle de Mouhoun, Centre-Nord, Nord, Centre-Ouest, and Ouagadougou regions. Schools have been set on fire, contents have been looted and students and teachers have been killed and kidnapped by armed groups. By monitoring these incidents, Insecurity Insight aims to improve understandings of these and help mitigate future risks.