Burkina Faso: The humanitarian community is bereaved

Ouagadougou, February 10, 2023 – 312 NGOs and national and international associations of the Permanent Secretariat of NGOs (SPONG) and the Forum of International Humanitarian NonGovernmental Organizations (FONGIH) join in strongly condemning the brutal and deliberate murder of two humanitarian workers of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the exercise of their function which took place on February 8, 2023 on the Dédougou – Tougan axis in the Boucle du Mouhoun region of Burkina Faso.

We express our solidarity and compassion to the families and colleagues of the victims, as well as to all the victims of this security crisis.

We recall that associations and non-governmental organizations provide aid to populations according to humanitarian principles and in compliance with International Humanitarian Law. Our mission is to protect and save lives. Our interventions are defined based on the needs of the most vulnerable
populations and without any form of discrimination.

27 humanitarian workers were killed, injured or kidnapped in 2021 and 2022. The majority were Burkinabè humanitarian workers, who are more exposed to risks because they work on the front line.

The situation remains difficult on the ground, but we reiterate our daily commitment alongside the communities affected by the crisis in Burkina Faso and we are launching an urgent appeal so that the tragedy that affected our 2 MSF colleagues does not happen again.

Signed by SPONG (Permanent Secretariat of NGOs) and FONGIH (Forum of International Humanitarian NGOs)