Dakar – An influx of refugees fleeing Burkina Faso into neighbouring Mali is deepening a “humanitarian emergency”, the UN refugee agency warned, calling for greater assistance as many NGOs face slashed budgets.
Burkina Faso and Mali are both ruled by military juntas and face frequent attacks from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
The UNHCR reported a “massive influx” of Burkinabe refugees, mostly women and children, from several villages bordering Mali since August 5, in a statement sent to AFP late Tuesday.
The new arrivals are heading to Mali’s Bandiagara region, near the border with Burkina Faso.
📍À Koro, l’arrivée continue de réfugiés en provenance du Burkina Faso accentue la situation d’urgence humanitaire dans la région de Bandiagara.
Flash info 👇 pic.twitter.com/SW1AC9A14P
— UNHCR Mali (@UNHCRMali) September 2, 2025
Between August 7 and 15, the number of people registered by Mali’s National Commission for Refugees (CNCR) increased from 1,733 to approximately 12,000, or more than 1,500 per day, according to the UNHCR.
“This continued influx is severely straining the contingency capacities of the area,” the UNHCR said.
It also pointed to insufficient resources available to assist the refugees, despite local authorities’ willingness to help and the existence of host communities.
“An unprecedented budgetary crisis affecting nearly all humanitarian organisations has significantly reduced UNHCR’s operational capacity,” the organisation said.
Without urgent support from technical and financial partners, thousands of mainly women, children and vulnerable individuals risk falling into deeper distress, it said.
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Source: AFP
