violent extremism | Rethinking Francophone Africa

The UN food agency has warned of an “escalating humanitarian crisis” in Burkina Faso, driven by growing extremist violence and the long-term impact of climate crisis in the arid central Sahel region.

A sharp increase in attacks, the result of the west African country becoming embroiled in the jihadist insurgency that began in the region in early 2015, has forced almost half a million people from their homes.

Malnutrition is past emergency levels. One in five displaced children is malnourished, UN staff said.

“A dramatic human crisis is unfolding in Burkina Faso that has disrupted the lives of millions,” said the World Food Programme’s (WFP) executive director, David Beasley.

Read more on The Guardian

DAKAR, Senegal — One evening in late June, gunmen stormed a village in northern Burkina Faso and ordered people who had been chatting outside to lie down.

Then the armed strangers checked everyone’s necks, searching for jewelry. They found four men wearing crucifixes — Christians. They executed them.

The killings in Beni, reported by Catholic leadership in the region, followed attacks on churches in the West African nation that have left at least two dozen people dead since February, according to local news reports. It was the second time in as many months that militants singled out worshipers wearing Christian imagery.

A spreading Islamist insurgency has transformed Burkina Faso from a peaceful country known for farming, a celebrated film festival and religious tolerance into a hotbed of extremism.

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