Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
- Due to continued insecurity and fragility in the Sahel, from March to June 2024, new waves of population movement resulted in an additional 11,056 people (6,369 children) crossing the border from Burkina to Côte d’Ivoire seeking asylum. By 30 June 2024, UNHCR reported that a total of 61,418 people—58 per cent children, the majority under 12 years of age—have fled from Burkina Faso into northern areas of Côte d’Ivoire.
- During the reporting period, with UNICEF’s support, 20,785 children were vaccinated against measles in the two northern regions of Tchologo and Bounkani affected by the Sahel crisis.
- A total of 1,398 children under five years of age suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were admitted for treatment in health centres of the Bounkani and Tchologo regions, bringing the total number of children suffering from SAM admitted for treatment since the start of the year in these two regions to 2,276. Furthermore, 2,948 children aged 6 to 23 months have received Lipid-based Nutrient Supplement (LNS).
- A total of 850 adolescents and young people from border aeras with Burkina Faso were engaged as actors for positive change in their communities through inclusive local governance.
294,930 Children in need of humanitarian assistance
600,000 People in need of humanitarian assistance
61,418 asylum seekers
Funding overview and partnerships
In line with the 2024 UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal, the funding received by the end of June 2024 totals US$ 1.82 million (11 per cent of the US$ 16.95 million required). Funds used to respond to the Sahel crisis included: Peace Building Fund, USAID, US National Committee (NatCom) and UNICEF regular resources.
UNICEF received funds from KfW and Canada to strengthen the resilience of communities, systems and rights-holders in the two northern regions affected by the Sahel crisis.
Additional funding for the Sahel crisis spill-over will enable UNICEF to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, conduct social and behavioural change (SBC) activities, reunify children with their families, prevent malnutrition and cure children suffering from SAM, procure and distribute NFI kits, and ensure access to healthcare, including for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and HIV prevention care treatment among vulnerable adolescents and young people, as well as access to education services for refugees/asylum seekers and host populations.
UNICEF is grateful to all partners for their continued support and collaboration and appeals for further assistance for the refugees/asylum seekers and vulnerable children in host populations in the northern regions of Côte d’Ivoire.
Situation overview and humanitarian needs
The deteriorating security situation in Burkina Faso, which led to an increase in the number of asylum seekers in 2023, has continued in 2024. From March to June 2024, 11,056 new people crossed the border from Burkina to Côte d’Ivoire, seeking asylum. As of June 2024, Côte d’Ivoire hosted an estimated 61,418 asylum-seekers from Burkina Faso, 52,356 of whom were registered. The majority of forcibly displaced persons in northern Côte d’Ivoire are women and girls (56%), while 32% (around 19,440) are school-age children, and more than 20% are under the age of five.
In these human mobility contexts, children are particularly vulnerable and exposed to risks that require professional case management support (e.g. unaccompanied and separated children, child exposed to forced marriage, unregistered children/ without birth certificates) and any form of violence and abuse and exploitation. Multi-sectoral assessments also revealed urgent needs in nutrition and water, hygiene and sanitation, as well as education.
Communities in the Bounkani (north-east) and Tchologo (north) regions of Côte d’Ivoire face challenges in terms of access to basic social services and have significantly lower economic development than the rest of the country. In these regions where the basic social services are scarce, further reductions in access would only exacerbate structural inequalities and community tensions. Lack of economic opportunities contribute to exacerbating youth and woman’s vulnerabilities to the Sahel crisis.