Terrorist attacks and instability have forced thousands of civilians to leave their homes in Burkina Faso, with about 90 percent of the displaced people living without shelter, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2019) Terrorist attacks and instability have forced thousands of civilians to leave their homes in Burkina Faso, with about 90 percent of the displaced people living without shelter, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday."With almost 500,000 currently displaced, a recent upsurge of violent attacks by militants on military personnel and civilians is forcing thousands more to flee their homes in search of safety. About 300,000 people have been displaced in just the last four months in the country. The number of those displaced could reach 650,000 by the end of the year ... It is estimated that only 10 percent of the shelter needs of the displaced people in Burkina Faso is covered at the moment," the agency said.
According to the statement, as danger grips the north-eastern parts of the country, the UNHCR and its partners are facing severe challenges in accessing those displaced.
"UNHCR is scaling up its relief efforts by urgently acquiring more shelter to complement the 3,335 already distributed and 1,880 currently being constructed in both the Sahel and Centre Nord regions," the UNHCR said.
The northern part of Burkina Faso, as well as the border regions of Mali and Niger, have been suffering from attacks of Islamist groups linked to the al-Qaeda and Islamic State terrorist organizations (both banned in Russia).
Earlier in November, at least 37 people were killed and 60 others were injured in an attack on a convoy of the Semafo gold producer in Burkina Faso's eastern Est region.
In August of 2014, Operation Barkhane was launched by France, Mali, Burkina Faso and a number of other regional countries to combat various militant groups active in the Sahel region in Africa.
