Once again, Burkina Faso is the world’s most neglected crisis

For the second year in a row Burkina Faso is the world’s most neglected displacement crisis, according to a report from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The normalisation of neglect is exacerbating needs and deepening despair.

Far from the media spotlight, the crisis in Burkina Faso further worsened since topping the list last year. Violence killed more people and forced civilians to flee more times in 2023 than in any year since the conflict began in the country in 2019. Up to two million people are trapped in 39 blockaded towns across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands cut off from aid.

The crisis in Cameroon is listed second, having featured on the list every year since 2018. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, and Niger follow in this grim ranking, meaning that for the first time all three countries in the central Sahel are among the top five most neglected crises.