By Atlantic Reports

Approximately four million people have been forcibly displaced across Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger as worsening insecurity disrupts livelihoods and strains essential services, the United Nations refugee agency has warned.

Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, Regional Director for West and Central Africa at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), outlined the situation during a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Speaking after visits to locations in Mali and Burkina Faso, he said escalating violence and cross-border insecurity were increasing the vulnerability of displaced people and the communities receiving them.

According to Gnon-Konde, security incidents across the Central Sahel have almost doubled since 2020, while forced displacement has also nearly doubled over the same period.

He said insecurity was weakening state institutions and restricting humanitarian access, making it harder to reach people needing assistance.

Displacement Strains Essential Services

Gnon-Konde warned that prolonged displacement was placing growing pressure on education, healthcare, water supplies and livelihoods.

He cited Koro, near the Mali-Burkina Faso border, where approximately 85,000 displaced people had arrived in an area with about 100,000 residents.

According to him, the influx was overwhelming local services and creating additional challenges for host communities.

The figures illustrate the scale of demand facing communities that must accommodate large displaced populations alongside their existing residents.

Education Gaps Threaten Young People’s Future

The UN official expressed particular concern about children and young people whose education and prospects had been disrupted.

He said approximately 60 to 65 per cent of the region’s population was younger than 25, but only about one-third of refugee children had access to primary and secondary education.

That education figure concerns refugee children specifically, rather than all children across the three countries.

Gnon-Konde warned that inadequate investment in education, employment and economic opportunities could deepen instability, leaving young people with fewer options to build secure livelihoods.

Call for Support Beyond Emergency Relief

He urged stronger international engagement, increased humanitarian financing and investment in sustainable livelihoods.

Humanitarian assistance alone, he stressed, could not resolve the security and development challenges driving the crisis.

The deterioration also raises concerns for wider West African stability, including cross-border security and migration pressures relevant to Nigeria. However, the briefing account did not quantify displacement into Nigeria or establish a direct increase in arrivals linked to the crisis.

For displaced families and host communities, the immediate need is access to safety and essential services. Gnon-Konde’s warning also points to the longer-term challenge of restoring education, livelihoods and opportunities in communities affected by continuing violence.

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