The most forgotten humanitarian crisis in the world is that of Burkina Faso. Which is now asking for Italy’s support

Ambassador Ibrahim Koné talks about the conflict but also about the opportunities and prospects for development. Mentioning the Mattei Plan

(The cover of the report by the Norwegian Refugee Council organization)

ROME – “We expect a lot from Italy” says AmbassadorIbrahim Koné, “chargé d’affaires” of Burkina Faso in Italy. His country, in the heart of Africa and the Sahel, was placed this week in first place in a world ranking of forgotten crises. And this is where the interview with the Dire agency begins. “There are many displaced communities who are hosted in refugee camps” underlines the diplomat. “Among the main commitments is demining, which is necessary so that people can return to their homes.” Koné underlines: “We are counting on Italy, in particular on the Piano Mattei initiative, to bring back security and hopefully some economy and investments as soon as the country is pacified”.

THE REPORT OF THE NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL

The ranking of forgotten crises was drawn up by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), a humanitarian organization founded in 1946 and since then operational on multiple continents, from South America to Asia via Africa. In Burkina Faso, a conflict has been ongoing for years, pitting multiple armed groups against the government, which is based in Ouagadougou. Since 2020, a military junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, now transitional president, has been in power in the capital. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, the fighting and the resulting social crisis worsened in 2023, reaching its most acute phase since 2019. The organization estimates that around two million people are confined to 39 urban centres. Instead, hundreds of thousands of civilians would be deprived of the possibility of receiving assistance or basic necessities.
According to Koné, the Mattei Plan and in general Italy’s attention towards Africa may be important first of all to “secure ” the country and subsequently to encourage growth and “development”.
Another term that returns in the interview is “narration”. The diplomat denounces an incorrect media narrative, which would be fueled in particular by France, a former colonial power both in Burkina Faso and in other Sahel countries.

Koné cites accusations from the organization Human Rights Watch relating to summary executions of over 200 people that took place in two villages last February. According to the NGO, the murders were carried out by the Ouagadougou military in retaliation for the support offered by the inhabitants to Islamist rebel groups. The diplomat rejects this reconstruction and instead denounces Paris’ role in supporting irregular militias according to a logic of “destabilization”. According to this reading, the origin of the crisis in the Sahel was the decision by France and NATO in 2011 to strike Libya and overthrow Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. “The terrorists stocked up on the country’s arsenals and then moved south, first to Mali and then to Burkina Faso” claims the diplomat. “Today we are trying to contain them, also with planes, drones and latest generation equipment: we want to reconquer our country”. The hope is that a new phase of opportunity and development can soon begin. “It is in this spirit”, reports Koné, “that last month a delegation of our entrepreneurs participated in Macfrut, the fruit and vegetable fair held in Rimini”. Thanks to the support of the Ouagadougou office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (Aics), Burkina Faso has brought also shows varieties of cereals, leather and cotton. “We focus a lot on sesame, because your country is a large consumer of it” underlines Koné. “Macfrut was a bit of a showcase, to raise awareness of the capabilities and potential of Burkina Faso”. According to estimates by the Norwegian Refugee Council, in 2023 the deficit between the need and availability of funds to deal with humanitarian crises in the world reached 32 billion dollars, ten more than the previous year. In the NGO’s ranking, after Burkina Faso there are Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger, Honduras, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad and Sudan.