A MILLION more people could be facing hunger in Burkina Faso in the next few months as the lack of security in parts of the country continues to have an impact, the NGO International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned.
Currently an estimated 2.2 million people – one in 10 of the population – are experiencing hunger, but the IRC says that that figure could reach 3.3 million by September.
As a result of a militant Islamist insurgency parts of the country are almost entirely cut off – food supplies rarely get through and health facilities are closing.
The IRC has highlighted the plight of people in the northern town of Djibo, which hosts more than 200,000 people forced from their homes elsewhere in the region. The food market, once thriving, is nearly empty and more than four in five of the local health clinics have shut, the IRC said.
Last year 11 soldiers died when a supply convoy escorted by the army on the way to Djibo was ambushed..
IRC has added its voice to the calls for more international attention to the plight of people in the country.
Burkina Faso is currently run by a military junta under the presidency of Captain Ibrahim Traoré. He took power last October promising to win back territory from the militants.
