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Conflict in the central Sahel

The border area of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger is the centre of a jihadist insurgency that cuts towns off with blockades and pushes people out of rural areas.

Burkina Faso has 2.1 million internally displaced people, non-state armed groups control about 40 percent of its territory, and 800,000 people live in besieged towns. On 4 July 2026 JNIM and the FLA launched coordinated attacks in northern and central Mali, and blockades of Kayes and Nioro du Sahel restrict fuel and food supplies. In Niger more than 289,000 people were displaced between January and August 2026, twice as many as a year earlier.

Needs

• food
• protection
• shelter
• health
• education
• nutrition

Parties to the conflict

• Armed forces of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger
• JNIM
• Islamic State Sahel
• Azawad Liberation Front (FLA)

Who is helping

Organisations that, according to their own publications, work on this event (2). Donations go directly to each organisation's own website - GLOBURNS does not handle payments.

• International Committee of the Red Cross (MKCK (ICRC))
  The ICRC protects and assists victims of armed conflict and promotes international humanitarian law. In May 2026 it upgraded the Rafah field hospital, run with 16…
  Donate on the organisation's website (icrc.org)
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
  NRC assists displaced people with shelter, education, water and legal counselling. In Tawila it registered more than 10,000 new arrivals and enrolled over 2,000 children…
  Donate on the organisation's website (donate.nrc.no)

Sources

• acaps.org acaps.org/en/countries/burkina-faso
• acaps.org acaps.org/en/countries/mali
• acaps.org acaps.org/en/countries/niger
• fts.unocha.org fts.unocha.org/plans/overview/2026

Seed record, before editorial verification. Every number links to its source; report errors on the Corrections page. Methodology · Corrections

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