For the first time, Burkina Faso, also known as ‘The Land of the Upright Men’ has topped the list of the world’s most neglected displacement crises, according to a new report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
The redirection of aid and attention to Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia for over a year, has led to increased neglect of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. In a report published on Thursday, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) claims that the displacement of Burkina Faso’s population due to insecurity is “the most neglected crisis in the world.”
According to the Norwegian NGO, Burkina Faso’s decline since the crisis broke out five years ago has been rapid and devastating. Over two million people have been forced to flee their homes, and almost a quarter of the population is now in need of humanitarian aid.
Across the country, 800,000 people are living in areas blockaded by armed groups, where they have no access even to basic services. The situation is increasingly dire, with some people forced to eat leaves to survive.
The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo takes second place, appearing every year in first or second place on the list since its creation seven years ago. Colombia, Sudan and Venezuela follow in this dismal ranking, NRC points out.
It points out that the annual list of neglected displacement crises is based on three criteria: lack of humanitarian funding, lack of media attention and lack of international political and diplomatic initiatives.
“Neglect is a choice. That millions of displaced people are turned away year after year without the support and resources they so desperately need is not inevitable,” the report quoted NRC Secretary General, Jan Egeland as saying.
For him, “the powerful response to the suffering inflicted by the war in Ukraine has demonstrated what the world can offer people in need.
Political action for Ukrainians has been hard-hitting and swift, borders have remained open, funding abundant and media coverage extensive. Those in power need to show the same humanity to people affected by crises in places like Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
According to the Norwegian NGO, last year, more than five times as many articles were written about the Ukrainian displacement crisis than about the world’s ten most neglected crises. For every dollar raised per person in need in Ukraine in 2022, only 25 cents was raised per person in need across the world’s ten most neglected crises, the report went on.
Repeated warnings of increased disparity due to the reallocation of resources to Ukraine’s response have now become reality, notes NRC, pointing out that the redirection of much aid money to Ukraine and to hosting refugees in donor countries means that many crises have seen a drop in aid, despite growing needs.
The Norwegian Refugee Council, for example, points out that total aid to Africa, home to seven of the ten most neglected crises, was $34 billion in 2022, down 7.4 percent, compared to 2021.
“We must do more to end the suffering in Burkina Faso before despair takes root and adds to the growing list of protracted crises. The fact that this crisis is already so deeply neglected shows a failure of the international system to respond to new emerging crises, just as it also fails to respond to those that have remained in the shadows for
decades. Ultimately, greater investment in diplomatic solutions is needed, if we hope to remove crises from this list,” Mr. Egeland pleaded.
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