DAKAR, Senegal– When armed men entered the village of Safi, in the north Burkina Faso and started shooting, he hid in his house with his four children. The armed men found them and let them live (so they would suffer the guilt of surviving) after killing her husband and other family members.
Safi, whose last name has been withheld for security reasons, is among 2 million people displaced in the West African country by growing violence between Islamic extremists and security forces.
Around 60% of the displaced are children. Many are traumatized, but mental health services are limited and children are often overlooked during treatment.
“People often think that children haven’t seen anything, that nothing has happened to them, that they’re fine,” said Rudy Lukamba, health coordinator for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Burkina Faso.
She works on a program to help identify and treat traumatized children. It is often up to mothers to spot signs in children as young as 3 or 4 years old. The chances of a successful outcome after treatment are greater when children have a father figure in their lives, she said.
Mass murders of villagers they have become common in northern Burkina Faso while fighters linked to the Islamic State group and Al Qaeda attack the army and volunteer forces. Those forces can turn against villages accused of cooperating with the enemy. More than 20,000 people have been killed since the fighting began a decade ago, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a US-based nonprofit group.
Mental health services in Burkina Faso are usually reserved for only the most serious cases. A UN survey published in 2023 showed 103 mental health professionals in the country of more than 20 million people, including 11 psychiatrists.
Community mental health services provided by social workers are expanding and now number in the hundreds and are supported by a small team of UN psychologists. Additionally, traditional medicine practitioners in Burkina Faso say families are increasingly turning to them for help for traumatized children.
But the need is immense. The UN said surveys conducted by it and its partners show that 10 in 11 people affected by the conflict show signs of trauma.
With no money and fearing another attack, Safi set out on foot with seven children, including his own, across the arid plains in search of safety. They settled in a community in Ouahigouya, capital of Yatenga province, and sought help.
It was there that Safi learned how post-traumatic stress can affect children. They had nightmares and couldn’t sleep. During the day they did not play with other children. Through the ICRC, Safi contacted a health worker who helped through home visits and art, encouraging children to draw their fears and talk about them.
Traditional medicine practitioners are also helping traumatized children. One of them, Rasmane Rouamba, said he treats about five children a month, adapting the approach depending on the trauma suffered.
Children in Burkina Faso have also lost access to education and basic healthcare in areas affected by fighting.
School closures are depriving almost 850,000 children of access to education, the UN children’s agency said. The closure of hundreds of health centers has left 3.6 million people without access to care, she said.
Burkina Faso’s government has struggled to improve security.
The country’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, took power in 2022 amid frustrations with the government over the deadly attacks. He is expected to remain in office for another five years, delaying the junta’s promises of a democratic transition.
About half of Burkina Faso’s territory remains outside government control. Civic liberties have been restricted and journalists have been expelled.
And the country has distanced itself from regional and Western nations that disagree with its approach, breaking military ties with former colonial ruler France and instead turn to Russia for security support.
Safi, adrift with her children, said she plans to stay in her new community for now. She has no money or anywhere else to go.
“There is a perfect harmony in the community and they have become like a family,” he said.
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