‘Humanitarian situation dire’

THE humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso has become so dire that some women and children have only eaten leaves and salt for weeks, a top UN official has said.

UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths said his one-day visit to the West African nation on Thursday “left a deep impression”.

He said: “Growing insecurity and blockades in many areas have left communities cut off from the rest of the country and facing growing hunger. Aid workers are struggling to reach these people who need assistance.”

A quarter of Burkina Faso’s population – nearly five million people – is in need of emergency assistance, he said.

That is 40% more than at the beginning of the year, Mr Griffiths added, yet less than a third of the 805 million dollars (£716 million) required for the country’s response plan has been funded.

For years, Burkina Faso has battled a jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the so-called Islamic State group that has killed thousands of people and displaced some two million more.

Mr Griffiths’ visit followed the country’s second military coup in less than nine months.