An estimated 3.2 million children are hard hit by terrorism in Burkina Faso, according to Unicef data. Of the more than 2 million people forced to flee their homes because of the violence, 58% are children, the organization reported.

The UN Children's Fund (Unicef) estimates that more than a million children cannot go back to school in Burkina Faso due to persistent violence and insecurity in certain regions of the country. The 2023-24 school year started on October 2, but at least one school in four remained closed, the organization revealed in a bulletin published the same day.

“More than 31,000 teachers and over one million children can no longer go back to their classrooms, fearing for their safety. Meanwhile, at least 230 schools currently serve as temporary shelters for more than 52,000 internally displaced persons, further deteriorating access to education for thousands of children,” Unicef said.

As a reminder, Burkina Faso has been a regular target of terrorist assaults since 2015. According to government statistics, 40% of the territory is under terror control. Unicef indicates that more than 3.8 million pupils will nevertheless be forced to return to school throughout the country under difficult conditions, including in regions heavily affected by the conflict.

Last Friday, during a broadcast interview, the President of the transition, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, deplored the difficult conditions surrounding the anti-terrorist fight being waged by the armed forces. He however assured the population that the authorities remained determined and that they were doing everything possible to rid the country of terrorism and enable internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their homes.

Unicef reported that it has already assisted the Burkinabe government in enabling access to education for 763,000 children, including both formal education and educational radio programs.