Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- In 2025, children and families living in the northern regions of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo, as well as eastern Mauritania, will continue to face the humanitarian consequences of the central Sahel crisis. As of 30 August 2024, more than 234,000 Malian refugees had arrived in Mauritania. Another 158,000 people had been displaced into the Gulf of Guinea countries due to insecurity in the central Sahel. In Côte d’Ivoire alone, 67,081 refugees and asylum-seekers had arrived from Burkina Faso.3
- UNICEF will provide emergency assistance and support to local communities in affected areas, while also helping them become more resilient to future shocks. The multiple and recurrent risks faced by communities mean that longer-term, structural investments and anticipatory actions are needed.
- UNICEF requires $76.8 million to provide humanitarian assistance to 2.3 million people, including 1.5 million children, in such critical sectors as education, nutrition, health, child protection, and WASH.
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND NEEDS
The conflict in the central Sahel region is increasingly affecting neighbouring countries. Between January 2021 and October 2024, 1,256 security incidents, including the use of improvised explosive devices, were reported in the northern regions of the Gulf of Guinea countries.This violence is leading to restrictions on access to essential services and markets, as well as a weakening of economic activity, which is causing people to move within and across borders. It is also exposing girls and women to greater risks of gender-based violence.
As of 30 August 2024, 428,238 people had crossed into the coastal countries and Mauritania, mainly from Mali and Burkina Faso. Côte d’Ivoire is hosting 67,081 refugees and asylum-seekers, the majority of whom are women and girls (55 per cent), while 40 per cent are school-age children. As of September 2024, Mauritania was hosting 270,238 refugees and asylum-seekers, including 111,472 in the Mberra camp and 138,447 in host villages, primarily in the southeastern border communes of Fassala and Megve. The psychological impact of the conflict is evident in Mauritania, with 50 per cent of refugees saying they were suffering from psychological distress.
The constant influx of newly arriving child refugees into communities places a strain on existing education services. By May 2024, 10,723 displaced pupils (including 4,798 girls) were enrolled in public schools within Savanes Region, Togo – double the number at the beginning of the school year. A total of 387 schools were accommodating displaced students, primarily from Burkina Faso, resulting in overcrowding and potential dropouts. In Benin, six health facilities were operating at minimal capacity, while insecurity had led to the closure of four schools as of June 2024, disrupting the education of 315 students in Materi (Atacora Deparment)) and Karimama (Alibori Department). Such school closures increase the risk exploitation and abuse, including child marriage, forced marriage and other gender-based violence.
The five countries covered by this appeal face multiple challenges that extend beyond the effects of conflict in the central Sahel countries. Epidemics, frequent flooding and other natural disasters exacerbated by climate change are taking a toll on children and families. The recent dry spell in Ghana, which has severely impacted agricultural livelihoods and led to food insecurity and malnutrition, is an example of the compound challenges faced by refugee and host communities throughout the region. And the same time, the threat of flooding from the Akosombo (Volta) Dam in Ghana remains.