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In Pictures

Features|Humanitarian Crises

Forced to eat leaves: Hungry and besieged in Burkina Faso

In the northern town of Djibo, 370,000 people are entrapped by a continuing blockade – largely cut off from food and aid.

Burkina Faso displaced families
Early in the morning, women and children risk wandering outside of town to pick leaves and flowers - often the only thing left to eat because of empty markets and inadequate food assistance. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
Published On 12 Dec 202212 Dec 2022
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Every day in Djibo – a dry and dusty town in northern Burkina Faso – residents walk around hoping to spot a distribution of food aid, or at least some cereals to buy.

The town used to host a vibrant market, especially for livestock. It is now empty of everything — cereals, vegetables, meat, and merchants.

“It’s been four days with nothing to eat,” says 76-year-old Amadou*, who was born in Djibo and says he has never seen anything like the current crisis. He now hosts 40 internally displaced people in his own courtyard, as fighting has entrapped some 370,000 people in the town.

Located at the intersection of trade routes between Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, since 2019 Djibo has also been a hotspot of the conflict engulfing Burkina Faso. But the current blockade is the worst the country has seen, aid groups and locals say.

Since February, non-state armed groups have encircled the town and planted explosives along the main access roads, causing the deaths of at least 35 civilians. They have also destroyed vital infrastructure including bridges and phone installations, further isolating Djibo from the rest of the country.

With it, traders have stopped going in and out, so fewer supplies are reaching markets. People are also unable to access their farmlands so there has been a fall in local agricultural production, which used to make up roughly half of Djibo’s food consumption.

Resident Douda* used to raise livestock, and when the rains were good, he would also plough his fields and grow several varieties of crops to feed his family. But the crisis has stopped all this. Now he says he has no choice but to let his family eat leaves.

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Wild leaf consumption now makes up between 35 to 85 percent of the daily food intake of families in Djibo, according to an October assessment by NGOs and UN agencies.

Women and children take their chances wandering outside of town to pick leaves in the mornings. Back at home, they then boil them with salt, turning the meagre concoction into a meal. Some sell the rest to make a few pennies.

Livestock, one of the main sources of wealth, is something people try to hang on to for as long as they can. But feeding the cattle has become costly in besieged areas, and goats and sheep have lost roughly two-thirds of their value.

Both military and civilian aid convoys have attempted to resupply the town since it was blockaded, but have routinely been targeted, mostly preventing food assistance from reaching those who need it.

Only 100 tonnes of cereals reached the town in September and October combined, according to a recent humanitarian assessment. This was distributed to 6,700 families, but they are a fragment of the population in critical need of assistance.

Djibo’s population has tripled in size since 2019 due to the influx of internally displaced people. Some 270,000 are people who were previously forced to flee from other parts of the country.

Resident Lassana* used to live with his family in Nassoumbou, a town 45km away. Although he is originally from Djibo, he moved away years ago and only returned occasionally when looking for odd jobs. But the growing insecurity brought the family back to his native city for good.

Lassana says that whatever their origin, all civilians now in Djibo must confront the same fate and hardships.

“There is nothing left to eat,” he says. “Whether you are internally displaced or a local, you go hungry.”

*Name changed to protect the person’s safety.

Burkina Faso displaced families
Amadou*, 76, hosts dozens of internally displaced people at his home in Djibo, half of them children under the age of five. 'If adults struggle to cope with that situation [where there is nothing to eat], what about children then? Death only is awaiting us,' he says. [Norwegian Refugee Council/Al Jazeera]
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Burkina Faso displaced families
Airlifting supplies to Djibo provides a lifeline to the besieged city as road convoys routinely come under attack by non-state armed groups. Between April and September, nine convoys on their way to or from the town were targeted. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
Burkina Faso displaced families
In normal times, Daouda* raised livestock and grew crops. As head of his household, he feels responsible for his family's health and nutrition. But with the blockade, he can no longer feed them and they are forced to eat leaves. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
Burkina Faso displaced families
Wild leaves were traditionally used to prepare the sauce that accompanies couscous or other meals. Now they are the entire meal. Aminata* says she has a hard time swallowing it, as it’s neither good in taste nor texture, but she eats it to survive. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
Burkina Faso displaced families
Residents of Djibo walk around town hoping to spot a distribution of food aid, or food to buy. But because of severe constraints and the blockade, food assistance and aid deliveries are unpredictable at best. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
Burkina Faso displaced families
Djibo is at the centre of trade routes between three countries. It used to host a vibrant market, but now merchants and traders have stopped going in and out, and the drop in trade has worsened food insecurity. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
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Burkina Faso displaced families
Many see livestock as their prized possessions, but the costs of tending to them have soared. The price of cattle fodder has doubled since the start of the year, while goats and sheep have lost much of their value. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
Burkina Faso displaced families
Lassana* is from Djibo but moved away to a nearby town. Because of growing insecurity, he and his family ultimately had to move back to his native city. They now live as internally displaced people. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
Burkina Faso displaced families
A rise in targeted attacks against wells in early 2022 caused severe water shortages in Djibo. Before the rainy season, many had to live with less than three litres of water a day to cover all their needs, including drinking, washing and cooking. [NRC/Al Jazeera]
Burkina Faso displaced families
On the outskirts of town, some residents still try to grow cereals and vegetables. But the daily occupation comes with risk; frequent skirmishes between the army and armed groups often force farmers back. Large swaths of farmland are currently abandoned. [NRC/Al Jazeera]


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