For the second year in a row, Burkina Faso has been named “the world’s most neglected displacement crisis” by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). In a report published on June 3, 2024, the NRC emphasizes that the normalization of inaction worsens needs and plunges populations into ever deeper despair.
Three criteria taken into account
This annual list is based on three criteria: the lack of humanitarian funding, the lack of media coverage and the absence of international political and diplomatic initiatives. Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali and Niger complete this ranking, thus marking for the first time the presence of the three central Sahel countries in the top five.
“The abandonment of displaced people has become the normsays Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the NRC. Local political and military elites ignore the suffering they are causing, and the world neither reacts nor feels compelled to act in the face of these stories of despair and record statistics. We need a global burst of solidarity and a refocusing on the most urgent needs. »
The crisis in Burkina Faso, which has worsened since last year, clearly illustrates this neglect. In 2023, violence reached a new peak, causing more deaths and forcing more civilians to flee than in any year since the conflict began in 2019. Up to two million people are trapped in 39 cities besieged, cut off from all help.
A gap between humanitarian appeals and funds actually received
The NRC report indicates that the gap between humanitarian appeals and funds actually received reached $32 billion in 2023, $10 billion more than in 2022. This gap left 57% of needs unmet. Yet closing this gap is far from impossible. If the world’s five most profitable companies spent just 5% of their 2023 profits, funding could be restored in an instant.
“We urgently need investment in the most neglected crises. These investments must include diplomatic initiatives to bring conflicting parties to the negotiating table, as well as funding proportional to the needs of donor countries, adds Jan Egeland. It is crucial that economies not contributing their fair share of global solidarity step up. »
Honduras in 6th position
Central America is not spared since Honduras also appears on this list in 6th position. Faced with an explosion of violence, organized crime and the presence of gangs, Honduras is plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis. Gangs exert a brutal hold on communities, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.
