More than 2 million people displaced, Burkina Faso’s government says, as aid falls short

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group has made Burkina Faso a country with one of the world’s fastest-growing populations of internally displaced people. Government data shows the number has mushroomed by more than 2,000% since 2019. Figures released last month said more than 2 million people were internally displaced in the West African nation, the majority of them women and children. Aid groups and the government are scrambling to respond amid a lack of funds and growing needs. One in four people requires aid, and tens of thousands face catastrophic levels of hunger. Yet the United Nations says aid groups received not even half of the $800 million they requested to respond.