Burkina Faso: Mass displacements in north due to violence

Event

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) NGO, at least 5000 people have been forced to flee the restive northern Sahel region, especially Soum province, since January 2018, due to degraded security conditions. The government launched an Emergency Program in June 2017 to improve security as well as education and health conditions (e.g. improving the quality of drinking water). However, attacks continue to take place on a regular basis. For example, on April 8 gunmen killed the mayor of the village of Koutougou (Soum province) in front of his house, before fleeing into the bush. An increased security presence has been deployed in the area, to search for the assailants.

Additional militant attacks are possible in northern Burkina Faso in the coming weeks.

Context

Terrorism has become an increasingly serious security threat in Burkina Faso, especially in the Sahel region, since 2015. At least 80 attacks and 133 related deaths have been recorded in the area.  Attacks are usually attributed to Ansarul Islam and other groups affiliated with Al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Meanwhile, rates of criminal violence - much of which is interlinked with terrorist activity - have also recently increased.

Advice

Several Western governments advise against all travel to areas of the northern Sahel region, particularly areas within 40 km (25 mi) of the Malian border. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to traveling to such areas. More generally, individuals across the country are advised to avoid public events and places frequented by Westerners due to the latent risk of terrorist activity and to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities.