One of the world’s fastest-growing migrant crises is taking place in Burkina Faso as the country suffers a major escalation in armed violence, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
The West African country of 21 million residents had 1.9 million people internally displaced at the end of April, a UNHCR spokesperson said on Friday, citing government figures.
The spokesperson said that last Sunday, about 79 people were killed in an attack on the town of Seytenga.
Some 16,000 people had to flee to the nearest town, most of them women and children.
Witnesses reported that the attackers went to their houses to shoot the men of the families.
According to UNHCR, hundreds of internally displaced still have to sleep on the streets because the accommodation facilities are overburdened.
The government announced plans to provide more emergency aid, but only 20 per cent of the existing aid budget of 105 million euros (110.3 million dollars) had been covered.
Armed groups, including some who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State or al-Qaeda, were active in Burkina Faso and in the neighbouring countries of Mali and Niger.
Protracted droughts and famines also plagued the country, which was impoverished despite rich gold deposits.
The military had been in power since a coup in January. (dpa/NAN)
