We are seeing an increase in violence against civilians, while the health system is often overwhelmed in areas with some attacks on facilities and healthcare workers.
Insecurity and indiscriminate violence have forced close to 1.4 million people in Burkina Faso to leave their homes. Many now live in makeshift shelters with little access to food, water or healthcare services. MSF has significantly increased our activities since 2019 as the displacement crisis has worsened. On top of the violence, the country faces massive healthcare issues such as malaria, food insecurity and poverty.
Data and information from the International Activity Report 2022.
A growing number of cities have been besieged by armed groups, sometimes forcing our teams to suspend or cease activities altogether. In 2022, after armed groups took control of Pama, Sebba and Djibo, where we support health centres and work to improve water supply, access via land soon became virtually impossible. Food and medical supplies could only be delivered by military convoys or by air, causing severe shortages and a steep rise in prices.
Health facilities in the country also face staff shortages, as many medical professionals have fled the violence. Threats against our staff and patients, increased checkpoints, and restrictions on our supply lines by armed groups forced us to close projects in Centre-Nord and Sahel regions in 2022.
Nevertheless, our teams continued to deliver humanitarian and medical assistance to displaced people and host communities throughout the year, focusing on tackling major health issues, including malaria, outbreaks of measles and other diseases, mental health and sexual violence, and supporting access to community-based basic and specialist healthcare. Our teams also trucked in water and constructed and renovated boreholes to address the severe water shortage exacerbated by the ongoing conflict.
IN 2022
