DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT
Conflict in the Sahel region of northern Africa continues to spread, displacing tens of thousands of people seeking safety and security, including in the Savannah region of Togo. Throughout 2023, the number of displaced people in the Savanes region continued to rise, from just a few thousand in January to nearly 60,000 in September. As the armed conflict continues to intensify, with attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure and aid convoys at the border, it is likely that people will continue to flee to safe areas in Togo. Exacerbating the situation, access to agricultural land and pasture, access to health services and access to education are severely limited under these conditions, exacerbating their exposure to food insecurity, malnutrition and disease.
Since July 2022, deadly attacks on civilians in the border area between Togo and Burkina Faso and in the Savannah region have caused the forced movement of Burkinabe and Togolese populations from the border to more peaceful areas in the Savannah region. On February 17, 2023, the National Civil Protection Service (ANPC) requested the support of the Togolese Red Cross (TRC) to assist more than two thousand displaced households on the Togolese side of the border. On February 28, the TRCS finalized the inventory (registration) of the displaced, confirming the level of urgency of the situation in the Savanes region and highlighting the latest state of the current crisis.
The displacement has significantly affected the daily lives of the affected populations. Many displaced people, including a high proportion of children under 11, are psychologically affected by the attacks and the sudden change in their living standards. Returning to their villages is virtually impossible for security reasons, as IEDs in the streets are a constant threat. The needs of the displaced remain significant and population flows continue unabated, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis with limited support available.
Since September 2023, the Savanes region, bordering Burkina Faso, has seen an escalation of incursions by non-state armed groups, which have intensified significantly. These attacks prompted the Togolese government to request assistance from the TRCS and its partners to assist the displaced populations. A joint assessment led by the ANPC estimated that there are 30,000 refugees and 32,000 internally displaced people in Togo, and these numbers are expected to reach 80,000 in 2023 due to escalating security incidents.
Situation reports from the TRC reveal that the villages affected by the conflict are mainly located in the north-east of the Savanes region and on the Burkinabe side of the border. People have sought refuge in safer villages in the south of the Savanna region, including Kpendjal, Tône, Manjouaré, Oti and Cinkassé prefectures. Tens of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge in these locations and their numbers are increasing daily. Displaced persons, fleeing not only attacks but also warnings of possible planned attacks, often arrive with few personal belongings, leaving their homes and livestock behind. Host families, who generously share their resources, are struggling to keep up with the growing demand for food, preventing them from eating three meals a day.
Disruption of markets and essential services further exacerbates these challenges. Economic growth in 2023 is expected to slow to 5.4% from around 5.8% in 2022, as inflation averaged 6.3% year-on-year from January to May due to higher transport and service costs. At the same time, demographic pressure due to the arrival of refugees and returnees is crushing already overstretched and underfunded basic services such as health and education facilities. Up to 60 percent of communities surveyed by IOM in the north said it takes between 30 minutes and an hour to get to the nearest health center, but in the towns of East Naki, Noukpourma and Bombouaka, it takes more than an hour.
In March 2023, the TRC received DREF support through the IFRC to respond to the immediate needs of the affected population, targeting 10,000 people, including displaced and host communities, in Kpendjal, Kpendjal-Ouest and Tône locations, with food assistance, water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as health services and protection. This was done alongside and in addition to ICRC assistance which was already underway targeting 9,800 people with essential household items (EHI), medicines and medical equipment in three primary health centres. This includes improved access to water, with seven pumps repaired, in partnership with the TRC.
However, the overall need is much greater and will likely increase. In response, the Government of Togo formally requested the TRC to scale up humanitarian services in the affected area, through a letter submitted in October 2023.