Renewed attacks on civilians in eastern Burkina Faso by what the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency terms “non-State armed groups” is forcing thousands to flee to neighbouring Niger in search of safety.
The Agency, officially the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) which uses the UNRA acronym as an identifier with High Commissioner Filippo Grandi at the helm, has it attacks in recent weeks along the Burkina Faso border with Niger led to a “surge” of displaced people into the Nigerien city Téra in the Tillabéri region, despite an “already dire” humanitarian situation. An alert has it the “worrying security situation in Tillabéri means asylum seeker can face further suspicions of being affiliated to the ‘non-State groups’.”
They face being “forcibly returned” if their refugee status is no recognised.
This comes on the heels of years of insecurity in Burkina Faso where more than a third of the country operates outside control of the country’s military, which seized power in 2022.
More widely the stability of the Sahel region has been threatened for years by a proliferation of armed groups, the agency says. Starting in northern Mali, jihadist-linked insurgents pushed south, bringing lawlessness to northern Burkina Faso and western Niger, while threatening stability in other neighbouring countries.
According to UNHCR, Tillabéri is now home to at least 223 400 internally displaced people from Niger and at least 36 500 Burkinabé asylum seekers.
In addition to the latest Burkina Faso arrivals an additional 1 186 Nigerien nationals are also displaced in Tillabéri.
“In the last week of May and the first week of June, non-State armed groups launched attacks targeting civilians in the Mansila, Kantcari and Sempelga communes of Burkina Faso’s Sahel Region,” a UNHCR statement reads, in part.
“The surge in violence forced 3 068 Burkinabé asylum seekers to flee to Téra in Niger’s Tillabéri region by end June …straining local resources and the resilience of host communities.”
Pointing to a “highly volatile” security situation along the Niger-Burkina Faso border, the UN agency noted continuing attacks and clashes between State and non-State actors “are not only displacing more people but also complicating humanitarian access and protection efforts”.
