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Water suply in Kongoussi

Burkina Faso

Local communities remain the primary victims of insecurity and violence in Burkina Faso.

Living in a country plagued by armed groups, droughts, and political instability, many people in Burkina Faso struggle to access essential healthcare services and necessities. More than 2 million people are estimated to be internally displaced by violence, and in the Sahel, Est, and Boucle du Mouhoun regions of the country, entire towns are living under blockade by non-state armed groups.

We provide a range of services, all free of cost, for displaced and host communities in Burkina Faso across seven regions of the country. These include clean water distribution, sexual and reproductive healthcare, malaria treatment, and care for children with malnutrition. Our teams also respond to disease outbreaks, like 2023’s dengue fever outbreak in Hauts-Bassins region.

Humanitarian and medical activities are not spared from violence in the country. In 2023, two of our colleagues were killed while travelling in an MSF-marked vehicle in Tougan. Ongoing insecurity, and even targeted violence at health facilities, reduces people’s access to the services they desperately need. We are committed to providing assistance to people across Burkina Faso, but at times have had to suspend our activities to prioritise the safety of our staff.

Our activities in 2023 in Burkina Faso

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2023.

MSF in Burkina Faso in 2023 Insecurity continued to affect Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) activities in Burkina Faso in 2023. Our facilities were repeatedly targeted, and in February two staff members were tragically killed in a brutal attack.
Burkina Faso IAR map 2023

Our teams work in Sahel, Est and Boucle du Mouhoun regions, supporting hospitals and health centres to increase access to healthcare for people displaced by fighting and living under blockade. During 2023, there were a number of violent incidents, when the facilities we support, our teams and patients were threatened or assaulted, culminating in the fatal shooting of two of our staff by armed men during an attack on a marked MSF vehicle.

In Djibo and Pama, towns that were both still under blockade by armed groups throughout 2023, we supported health centres and ensured the supply of clean water. People in these towns continue to endure extremely difficult conditions, struggling to obtain food supplies and essential health services.
 
The worsening security situation has hampered access to these areas for our teams and other humanitarian organisations seeking to deliver food, medicines and equipment. Despite these challenges, we provided a range of medical activities for displaced and host communities during the year, including general healthcare, sexual and reproductive health services, screening and care for children with malnutrition, and treatment for malaria.

We also distributed millions of litres of water and supported the local authorities’ response to a dengue outbreak by providing medical treatment in Hauts-Bassins region. In addition, we worked to strengthen surgical care by providing highly qualified medical staff and adding new units, including post-operative, intensive care and paediatric, to a medical facility that we are supporting in the region.

 

in 2023
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4 November 2020