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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 9 May 2022
Burkina Faso's displaced numbers swell amid jihadi violence

By SAM MEDNICK January, 160,000 people
Associated Press were newly displaced, the
OUAGADOUGOU, Burki- second-largest monthly
na Faso (AP) — Ami Sana increase in three years,
hangs a tattered tarp for according to a report by
a bit of shade where she international aid groups.
can rest on a break from Hard-hit areas like the Cen-
pounding stones under the ter North region, which
scorching sun. hosts Burkina Faso's largest
"The work is hard. It makes displaced population, are
my body weak, but what buckling under the pres-
else can I do?" she asked. sure.
The mother of six is one of 2 "The impact of people
million people displaced by moving from their farms
Burkina Faso's rapidly rising into big cities is disorienta-
Islamic extremist violence, tion (and) the increase of
according to the U.N. poverty (and) fear," said
Amid the clamor of clang- Abdoulaye Pafadnam, for-
ing pickaxes and falling mer mayor of Barsalogho,
rocks, Sana has found work one of the main towns in
in the Pissy granite mine the Center North region.
on the outskirts of Burkina The violence is cutting off
Faso's capital, Ouagadou- Men work in a Pissy granite mine in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday April 25, 2022. access for aid groups to
gou. Associated Press reach people in need.
Lifting heavy rocks and Roads that were safe to
hammering them into often stretched to a break- 500 displaced people start- it has done little about the travel six months ago are
gravel to sell to construc- ing point," said Hassane ed working at the mine last swelling numbers of dis- lined with explosives and
tion companies is tough Hamadou, country director year making it harder for placed. the United Nations had
work that doesn't earn her for the Norwegian Refugee the original miners to earn The government has a re- only one helicopter until re-
enough to adequately Council. a living, said Abiba Tiem- sponsibility to provide the cently to transport people
feed or educate her chil- "Schools can't absorb all the tore, head of the site. swelling numbers of dis- and aid across the country.
dren, Sana said. But it's the new children, water points "With more people, it's hard placed with those social The pressure on cities has
best work that she could can't provide enough for to collect as many rocks services, said Alexandra La- also started creating rifts
find. all. Hundreds of thousands and it's impacting our daily marche, senior advocate between some host and
The rush of civilians from are left without access to income," she said. Miners for West and Central Africa displaced communities. In
rural villages plagued by an education, clean water who used to make approxi- for Refugees International. the northern town of Oua-
extremist violence has put or healthcare as a result," mately $1 a day say they The minister of humanitar- higouya, people sheltering
pressure on Burkina Faso's he said. are now lucky if they make ian affairs did not respond in a crowded displace-
cities. The influx of displaced peo- 80 cents. to a request for comment ment camp said locals
"Some of the host cities ple is causing competition When it seized power in on the situation. chase them from the forest
have doubled or tripled in among the approximately January, Burkina Faso's rul- So far the junta has not if they try to chop wood for
size in the past three years, 3,000 people working at ing junta vowed to stamp succeeded in stemming cooking, accusing them of
and their infrastructures are the granite mine. At least out extremist violence but the extremist violence. In trying to destroy it.q

Costa Rica's new leader takes over with a blast at the past

the ceremonial presidential said was held by many that ed a man who was almost
sash by outgoing President the Central American na- a symbol of it: José María
Carlos Alvarado Quesada, tion is "ungovernable." Figueres, a former presi-
Chaves lashed out at the "Look at me as I am, a hum- dent and son of a three-
state of the nation he has ble instrudment to com- time president.
been left to lead, com- ply with the mandate of Chaves may find govern-
plaining of the high cost of the people, a people who ing difficult, however: His
living, crime, drug traffick- united can achieve the ur- party has only 10 of 57 seats
ing and long lines at social gent change that history in the legislature.
security offices. imposes on us," he said in During his campaign he
"Not only are we going to his inaugural address at the called for lowering the cost
put the house in order, we national legislature. of living and after winning,
are going to rebuild it!" he The conservative econo- he promised — without giv-
vowed. "This is the sign our mist, who was briefly fi- ing details — to start with
our times. nance minister under Al- the costs of gasoline, rice
Costa Rica's former finance minister Rodrigo Chaves speaks It is the urgency for change varado, had cast himself and electricity.
to supporters at his headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica, after
winning a presidential runoff election, Sunday, April 3, 2022. that cannot be delayed, as the outsider in the race, Chaves won despite be-
Associated Press the cry of a democracy noting that his Social Dem- ing dogged by a scandal
that we will not let disap- ocratic Progress Party had that drove him out of the
By JAVIER CORDOBA taking office with a lengthy pear!" never won at any level be- World Bank, where he was
Associated Press list of reproaches for his pre- He warned that "if the po- fore this year. accused of sexual harass-
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) decessor and the country's litical class fails one more The World Bank veteran is ment by multiple women,
— Rodrigo Chaves began political class while promis- time, the country could fall hardly a newcomer to the was eventually demoted
a four-year term as Costa ing great change. apart." establishment, but in the and then resigned. He has
Rica's president on Sunday, Shortly after being given He dismissed the idea he April 3 election he defeat- denied the accusations.q