UNICEF Burkina Faso Humanitarian Situation Report, January – March 2017

(UNICEF) – Located in Sahel region of Burkina Faso, Soum is the largest of four provinces in the region. The province has been affected by rapidly deteriorating security since the end of 2016, due to successive terrorist threats perpetrated by non-state armed actors. The most affected communes are bordering the northern Mali and are in the rural areas, including the districts of Nassoumbou, Diguel, Baraboulé, Koutougou and Tongomayel. These terrorist threats or attacks targeting schools and security posts (gendarme and police) have caused a widespread fear among population, and the closure of over an estimated 500 schools in the region. Meanwhile, two Malian refugee camps of Goudebou (in Seno province) and Mentao (in Soum province) in the region have not been targeted nor affected by the insecurity. The host communities, on the other hand, are more and more affected by insecurity, particularly in terms of their limited access to social services(education, health, nutrition, protection).

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