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Women collecting drinking water at an MSF water pump

Burkina Faso

Women collect drinking water at a water pump. Burkina Faso, September 2023.
© Nisma Leboul/MSF
Local communities remain the primary victims of insecurity and violence in Burkina Faso.

Living in a country plagued by armed groups, droughts, and political instability, many people in Burkina Faso struggle to access essential healthcare services and necessities. More than 2 million people are estimated to be internally displaced by violence, and in the Sahel, Est, and Boucle du Mouhoun regions of the country, entire towns are living under blockade by non-state armed groups.

We provide a range of services, all free of cost, for displaced and host communities in Burkina Faso across seven regions of the country. These include clean water distribution, sexual and reproductive healthcare, malaria treatment, and care for children with malnutrition. Our teams also respond to disease outbreaks, like 2023’s dengue fever outbreak in Hauts-Bassins region.

Humanitarian and medical activities are not spared from violence in the country. In 2023, two of our colleagues were killed while travelling in an MSF-marked vehicle in Tougan. Ongoing insecurity, and even targeted violence at health facilities, reduces people’s access to the services they desperately need. We are committed to providing assistance to people across Burkina Faso, but at times have had to suspend our activities to prioritise the safety of our staff.

Our activities in 2025 in Burkina Faso

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2025.

MSF in Burkina Faso in 2025 In 2025 in Burkina Faso, MSF continued to support displaced people and host communities affected by the volatile security situation and a significant reduction in international aid.
Country map for the IAR 2025.
Country map for the IAR 2025.
© MSF

Ongoing insecurity forced our teams to suspend and reorganise some activities in Tougan, Sourou region. In other areas of the country, such as Soum, Tapoa, and Kuilsé, thousands of people living under blockade are left with little or no humanitarian assistance. Our teams also witnessed how some critical medical services, such as nutritional support for children, were reduced, or even completely terminated, following the withdrawal of international aid.

Despite these constraints, our teams maintained projects in seven regions, delivering a range of medical activities, including general, paediatric, maternal, and mental health care, as well as screening and treatment for malaria and malnutrition.

Our teams began working in Dédougou, in the northwest, to deliver improved care to people living with non-communicable diseases, in particular diabetes and hypertension. This included providing consultations, treatment, and referrals. We also sent mobile clinics to hard-to-reach areas, such as Djibasso, Bâ, and Bomborokuy.

MSF continued to train medical staff, and in 2025 our Academy for Healthcare celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of midwives in Bobo-Dioulasso. Other activities during the year included enhancing health infrastructure by building a neonatal unit in Kaya regional hospital, and improving water and sanitation in Gorom-Gorom by drilling a borehole and constructing a sterilisation room.  

In addition, our teams launched multiple emergency responses to assist people displaced by insecurity in the east and northeast of the country. As well as providing lifesaving care, we supported routine vaccination campaigns, particularly against measles and polio.

in 2025

Burkina Faso

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