On 30 September, Burkina Faso underwent a second coup d’état in 2022, with the former Transitional President’s resignation effective as of 2 October. Even as events unfolded in the capital Ouagadougou, new displacements were reported in some of the regions most affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis. In the Centre Nord region, over 13,000 people were newly displaced by Non-State Armed Groups between 1 and 2 October, including about 7,000 people from surrounding villages toward Kaya, the Centre Nord regional seat, and another 6,347 from Bam-village toward Kongoussi, a town in the western part of the same region, according to the Regional Director for Humanitarian Action. The humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso remains critical, with 4.9 million people in need of aid including 1.5 million of internally displaced persons. Humanitarian organizations are mobilizing to rapidly provide aid to the newly displaced people.
DR CONGO
URGENT ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN TO STOP ESCALATING VIOLENCE
In a press release issued on 30 September, the Humanitarian Coordinator M. Bruno Lemarquis called for urgent measures to stop the escalation of violence and scale up the humanitarian response in the provinces of Mai-Ndombe and Kwilu provinces in the west. Violence that erupted in June in Kwamouth in Mai-Ndombe province has spread to neighboring Kwilu province, causing people’s deaths and setting houses ablaze. According to provincial authorities, over 35,000 people have been displaced, and over 1,400 people crossed the Congo River to seek refuge in the neighboring Republic of Congo. A surge in armed attacks in Ituri province continues to displace civilians, with an estimated 1.78 million people internally displaced, including over 160,000 in the last three months in the areas of Djugu, Irumu, and Mambasa.
CAMEROON
SYSTEMATIC ATTACKS ON SCHOOLS IN NORTH-WEST & SOUTH-WEST REGIONS
Since early September, the official back to school day in Cameroon, schools, teachers, and students are being targeted by non-state armed groups (NSAG) in the North-West and South-West regions for not respecting the lockdown that they imposed to impede return to school, and for resuming school earlier than they allowed, on the date of 4 October. Humanitarian organizations continue to advocate for a safe return to school for children and school personnel in both regions. Bans and attacks on schools have been recurrent around September each year since the beginning of the crisis in North-West and South-West regions in 2016.
CHAD
SEVERE RAINS AND FLOODS AFFECT OVER 977,000 PEOPLE IN 18 OF 23 PROVINCES
The effects of climate change are intensifying throughout Chad, resulting, among other things, in severe rain and floods that have adverse consequences for already vulnerable people. As of early October, over 977,000 people, were affected by floods in 18 of the 23 provinces of Chad. Floods have destroyed over 465,000 hectares of agricultural land, which risks aggravating the food insecurity situation that is already critical in the country. Humanitarian organizations are providing assistance to affected people, with about 27,000 households having received food assistance and essential household items, leaving about 150,000 households without assistance due to the access constraints. The Joint Flood Response Plan estimates, between October and November, 1.2 million people could be affected by pluvial and riverine flooding and will need diverse assistance. River flooding is anticipated in the next few weeks due to rising lakes and rivers, which may further deteriorate an already alarming situation.
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs