AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - Una parrocchia diventa centro di accoglienza per gli sfollati interni

AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - A parish becomes a reception center for internally displaced persons
Bourzanga (Agenzia Fides) - "The situation of the internally displaced persons in the parish of Bourzanga is of absolute emergency. As a result of the militia attacks that began in 2015, there has been a great displacement of people. The attacks began in Ouaga, on the border with Mali and extended to our parish, where villages in our territory have been attacked. Some Christians have been killed simply for being Christians. This has led to the fear and flight of the population. At the beginning all the Christians left their places and we welcomed them into the parish. Later, Muslims also flocked to the area. The parish welcomed everyone on our 9-hectare land and within two months we welcomed over 36 thousand people". This is what Fr. Bertrand Sawadogo, parish priest in Bourzanga, tells Fides, referring to the situation of internally displaced persons in his parish.
"We have welcomed people in the rooms available, in the reception centers, in the lodgings that the nuns had left and also in the open air, sometimes under the trees. I went to the town hall to ask for schools, colleges and public spaces to welcome people. Among the refugees, many arrived with nothing. Thus, with the help of OCADES (Diocesan Caritas), we got food aid. Then other NGOs arrived, such as Catholic Relief Service and Missio Munich which also helped us with humanitarian aid".
"During this period - continues the parish priest - we received several times the visit of the Bishop, who came to encourage these displaced persons. We continue to welcome displaced people on a regular basis. Every day we receive 40 to 100 people who come to ask for help. At the moment we have nothing left, but we still try to listen to them, to advise them, to guide them so that they may find comfort and a possible solution to their suffering".
Fleeing the violence that takes place in their localities, many Burkinabè seek refuge in places considered peaceful. Faced with the massive influx of displaced people, the parish priest again recalls the urgent needs for food security and health care for those already present and for the newcomers.
The condition of the displaced is precarious: they live in very precarious shelters made of tarpaulins, which overheat due to the high heat and deteriorate rapidly. Children drop out of school. The diocese of Ouahigouya, through the diocesan Caritas and its partner organizations, is trying to address this issue to alleviate some of the difficulties.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been experiencing an unprecedented security crisis following increasingly recurring attacks by unidentified armed groups, often jihadist militiamen, which have spread to different regions of the country, especially those of the Sahel, of the North, of the Center-North and the East. These attacks, as well as operations against armed groups, have progressively led to massive internal displacements of the population. According to the latest report by the High Commissioner for Refugees, 5% of the total population of Burkina Faso (more than one million people) is now displaced. (EZ) (Agenzia Fides, 8/5/2021)

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