UN urges countries not to expel Burkina Faso refugees

Geneva, Switzerland (AFP):

The United Nations on Friday pleaded with countries not to forcibly return refugees from Burkina Faso due to the deteriorating security situation in the troubled west African nation.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said the humanitarian picture inside the country was particularly grim for people living in towns blockaded by violent extremist groups.

UNHCR is “urgently appealing to all states to refrain from forcibly returning any individuals originating from the regions most affected by the ongoing crisis in the country”, its international protection director Elizabeth Tan told reporters in Geneva.

“As the security situation in Burkina Faso continues to deteriorate, UNHCR is gravely concerned by the widespread insecurity and human rights violations perpetrated against civilians.”

More than two million people are displaced within their country, making it one of the worst internal displacement crises in Africa.

Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta faces an insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015. Some 40 percent of the country has since been seized since by militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Anger within the military at failures to roll back the insurgency sparked two coups last year.

An estimated 4.7 million people across Burkina Faso — more than 20 percent of the population — are now deemed in need of humanitarian assistance.

Violence has also destroyed critical infrastructure and impacted state services and institutions, including in conflict-affected areas.

Tan said UNHCR had witnessed forced returns from Ghana to Burkina Faso. On July 13, the Burkina Faso authorities reported that more than 500 people had been expelled back across the border.

“The principle of non-refoulement must be respected and upheld, ensuring that no one is forcibly returned to places where their lives, freedom, or human rights are at risk,” Tan said.