Burkina Faso tops list of 7 African countries with ‘most neglected displacement crises’ — report

For the first time, Burkina Faso, plagued by jihadist violence since 2015, tops the list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises, according to a new report from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

This is also caused by the redirection of aid and attention towards Ukraine, which has increased neglect of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Hence, Burkina Faso is experiencing “the most neglected crisis in the world” according to an annual ranking published lately by the NRC. The Norwegian NGO publishes each year the list of the ten most “neglected” population displacement crises, based on three criteria: the lack of political will of the international community, media coverage, and humanitarian funding.

The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ranks second, having appeared first or second on the list every year since its inception seven years ago, followed by Colombia, Sudan, and Venezuela in the grim ranking.

“Neglect is a choice – that millions of displaced people are cast aside year after year without the support and resources they so desperately need is not inevitable,” said Jan Egeland, NRC’s Secretary General.

According to the NRC, Burkina Faso has “more than 14,000 people” killed in the past five years, “half of them since January 2022” and more than two million internally displaced people. In 2022, “increasing violence and displacement (of populations) have left almost one in four Burkinabè in need of humanitarian assistance”, adds the report. Burundi, Mali, Cameroon, El Salvador and Ethiopia complete this top 10.

According to the NRC, the gap between the total humanitarian appeals by the UN and partners and the money actually received amounted to US$22 billion in 2022 (OCHA). Total aid to Africa was US$34 billion in 2022, representing a drop of 7.4% compared to 2021 (OECD).