insecurity driving a growing number of people from their homes. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) called for greater international support on Friday, saying the affected countries could not deal with the situation alone.

 “About four million people are now displaced across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and neighbouring countries – around two-thirds more than five years ago – reflecting insecurity, limited access to services and livelihoods, and the effects of climate change,” said Abdouraouf Gnon-Konde, UNHCR’s regional director for West and Central Africa. While 75 percent of those displaced remain within their own countries, cross-border movements are on the rise, putting pressure on host communities with “scant assistance” available, he told reporters in Geneva.

Women and children represent 80 percent of forcibly displaced people in the Sahel, Gnon-Konde said, adding the number of people impacted by pervasive gender-based violence had “significantly increased” this year. “The insecurity across the region is exposing people to violence, forced recruitment, movement restrictions and arbitrary detention,” he said. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have been hit by violence from armed groups linked to al-Qaeda or the ISIL (ISIS) group for more than a decade.

Those three countries – all run by military governments – quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the beginning of the year, accusing the regional bloc of failing in the fight against armed groups. They have formed their own Alliance of Sahel States (AES), turning away from former colonial power France and pivoting towards Russia. Human Rights Watch and other rights groups have accused the fighters, the military and partner forces of Burkina Faso and Mali of possible atrocities.

Meanwhile, Gnon-Konde said food insecurity was increasingly pushing people to flee, while climate shocks were intensifying competition for scarce resources such as water, fuelling friction between communities. Nearly 15,000 schools had closed in the region by mid-2025 as well as more than 900 health facilities. UNHCR needs $409.7m to cover humanitarian needs in the Sahel, but has only received 32 percent of the total, Gnon-Konde said. The lack of funds has “drastically impacted” activities such as refugee registration and documentation, and the provision of education, health and shelter, he added.

More than 212,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are not yet registered, limiting their access to services and heightening their risks of arbitrary detention, he said. “UNHCR is calling for a renewed and strengthened international commitment to address the crisis,” Gnon-Konde said. “Countries in the region cannot face these challenges alone.” (Aljazeera)