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.

MSF office hit by gunfire in Soum province
17 July 2024: In Djibo town, Soum province, an MSF office was hit by repeated gunfire during an attack. The advanced health post in sector 4 was partially set on fire, the medical centre supported by MSF vandalised and two water distribution sites destroyed. Sources: Le Monde, MSF I and MSF II. Return to Burkina Faso home page. more
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Health Care

Insecurity Insight monitors attacks on health care in Burkina Faso.

Based on Insecurity Insight data, the Burkina Faso chapter of the 2023 Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition report identified at least 49 incidents of violence against or obstruction of access to health care in 2023, compared to 66 in 2022. In these incidents, 12 health workers were kidnapped and eight killed, and health supplies were looted on at least 20 occasions. In Burkina Faso, health worker killings doubled between 2022 and 2023 while kidnappings continued. Violence against health care was mainly attributed to JNIM, reflecting the group’s growing presence in the Sahel region. Available in English and French.

Our data is accessible here and can be explored 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.