Kongoussi, Burkina Faso – The refugee crisis in Burkina Faso, which has been engulfed in conflict since 2019, is the deepest of a number of neglected crises across Africa, according to a new report.

The West African country tops the list for neglected crises for the second year running, a report released by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) on Monday showed.

With a record-high 707,000 new displacements within the country’s borders, the humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso continued unabated in 2023, while hundreds of thousands of people were cut off from aid.

The number of people killed in violence doubled last year, with over 8,400 deaths. Meanwhile, the number of Burkinabe refugees seeking safety in neighbouring countries almost tripled, reaching a total of 148,317 according to UNHCR figures.

An unprecedented 42,000 people suffered catastrophic levels of food insecurity and up to two million civilians were trapped in 36 blockaded towns across the country by the year’s end. As armed groups imposed movement bans, little to no humanitarian assistance reached some of these areas. At least half a million people were cornered into a near-total “aid blind spot”.

With over 6,100 schools closed by spring 2023, Burkina Faso was home to nearly half of all closed schools in Central and West Africa. Up to 400 health facilities were shut down, and about as many were only able to provide minimal services, leaving 3.6 million people without access to healthcare – a 70 percent increase from 2022.

On February 8, 2023, two staff members at Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, were murdered by an armed group in northwestern Burkina Faso. This was the first time since the start of the conflict that national aid workers of an international NGO were killed while providing life-saving aid.

As road access to many areas remained plagued by security incidents, humanitarian organisations increasingly relied on limited air transport, escalating operational costs and further restricting the amount of assistance reaching people in need. Funding dwindled, which aggravated the financial strain on humanitarian organisations. Only 39 percent of the response plan funding was covered in 2023, down from 43 percent in 2022.

Independent media coverage decreased as several international news outlets and journalists were banned from working in Burkina Faso in 2023. Additionally, the domestic press corps shied away from sensitive topics due to the heightened risks.

An all-time high of 6.3 million people will need humanitarian assistance in 2024 and more than two million remain internally displaced. While some have started to return home, concerns are growing about the protection of civilians. Returns, which the Kampala Convention states must be voluntary, dignified and safe, are set to be a major humanitarian issue for 2024.