According to media reports, around 200 people were killed and another 140 injured in an attack by the armed group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) in the Burkinabe town of Barsalogho over the weekend. The horrific assault comes as large parts of Burkina Faso are controlled by non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and more than 1 million people are trapped in dozens of blockaded towns across the central Sahel country.
In Saturday's attack, suspected al-Qaeda-linked militants opened fire on villagers and members of the Burkina Faso armed forces as they were digging trenches around the northern town of Barsalogho to protect it from attacks. Soldiers had reportedly forced reluctant townspeople to excavate the trenches to deter insurgents.
Among the dead were soldiers and civilians, officials said, but did not confirm the number of dead and wounded. Dozens of the wounded were reportedly evacuated to health facilities in the nearby town of Kaya. The attack is one of the deadliest against civilians this year.
Much of Burkina Faso is terrorized by armed groups amid rampant insecurity while its people continue to experience a multifaceted humanitarian crisis.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned "the terrorist attacks". Through his spokesperson, Guterres also called on the "transition authorities" to ensure that those responsible for "these despicable acts" are held accountable.
The security situation in Burkina Faso has further deteriorated following two military coups in January and September 2022. The most recent coup leader, Ibrahim Traoré, calls himself "President of the Transition of Burkina Faso."
Since the coups, military operations have intensified, tens of thousands of security forces have been deployed, states of emergency have been declared in several provinces, and security and human rights conditions have deteriorated.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Tuesday of the severe humanitarian crisis in Barsalogho even before this weekend's horrific attack.
According to Burkinabe officials, at least 90,000 displaced people have been living in Barsalogho as of last year. These families had sought refuge there from insecurity in the surrounding areas, and their arrival placed an additional strain on local services and supplies.
The entire province of Sanmatenga, where Barsalogho is located, is facing crisis levels of hunger during the current lean season. Insecurity in the surrounding areas has also made it much more difficult to provide humanitarian assistance in Barsalogho.
Since 2022, access to the area for aid agencies has mostly required helicopter transport by the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS). Last year, UNHAS airlifts delivered approximately 11,500 metric tons of food and relief supplies to more than half a million people in cut-off towns throughout Burkina Faso.
"The tragedy in Barsalogho is emblematic of the unprecedented crisis facing Burkina Faso," OCHA said.
In Burkina Faso, 6.3 million people - nearly a third of the population - are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Of these, 3.2 million are children. More than 2 million people are internally displaced, including 1.1 million children.
Between June and August 2024, more than 2.7 million people in the country face acute food insecurity, including 430,000 who are at emergency levels of hunger. 800,000 children are out of school. In addition to the growing armed conflict, the impact of climate change and desertification has exacerbated hunger.
While millions are internally displaced, a de facto blockade by armed groups of areas where more than 1 million people live or have sought refuge has deprived people of freedom of movement and essential supplies. For the second year in a row, Burkina Faso has been ranked as the world's most neglected displacement crisis by the international humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
According to the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), non-state armed groups were responsible for the vast majority of human rights violations against civilians last year - in incidents involving more than 86 percent of the victims. But there are also reports of serious abuses by the security forces and their auxiliaries, including the Volontaires pour la défense de la Patrie (VDP).
OHCHR has documented an increase in serious violations committed by the security forces and their auxiliaries. Enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests of perceived critics of the transitional authorities have been on the rise. There have also been reports of forced conscription.
Escalating militant Islamist violence in Burkina Faso - particularly violence against civilians - has forced more than 1 million Burkinabes to flee their homes since 2021. Violent incidents are primarily associated with militant Islamist groups, particularly the Macina Liberation Front, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), and the Islamic State of the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
According to the international rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW), Burkina Faso's human rights situation deteriorated significantly in 2023 as deadly attacks by the armed Islamist groups against civilians increased and security forces and pro-government militias committed human rights abuses during counterinsurgency operations.
Earlier this year, HRW reported that the Burkina Faso military summarily executed at least 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages in February 2024. These mass killings, among the worst abuses by the army in Burkina Faso since 2015, appeared to be part of a broader military campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with Islamist armed groups and may amount to crimes against humanity, the rights group said.
The 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan for Burkina Faso aims to help 3.8 million people this year. But so far, aid agencies have only received 34 percent - or $315 million - of the $935 million needed. This funding has allowed agencies to help about 1 million people across the country, but OCHA says much more is urgently needed.