UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Worsening insecurity in Burkina Faso has forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes, many of them displaced several times, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.
"Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased by 30 percent, from 2.2 million in January to 2.9 million in July," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Dujarric said 15 percent of the population is now facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, according to the government data.
The population of Burkina Faso, one of the world's poorest countries, is about 21 million people, according to UN data.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Burkina Faso has increased to 1,733 with 56 deaths and 1,141 recoveries, the spokesman said.
Climate shocks have also contributed to the country's woes, including the worst food crisis in a decade, he said. Since the beginning of April, floods and windstorms have hit more than 71,000 people across the country, more than 60 percent of them in two regions most affected by conflicts. Enditem
