Burkina Faso Regional Program
Communities in Burkina Faso’s remote northern and eastern regions have long felt spurned by the central government in Ouagadougou. Following the end of President Blaise Compaoré’s 27-year rule in 2014, the state has struggled to combat deep-rooted corruption and coordinate its response to the growing regional armed militant and criminal groups, further eroding stability in rural areas. Escalating violence and violent extremism have prompted nearly 900,000 Burkinabe to flee their homes, seeking refuge in camps and urban centers.
The Burkina Faso Regional Program (BFRP), funded by USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, provides crucial support to vulnerable communities in the country’s Nord, Sahel, and Est regions. The program’s locally identified solutions strengthen economies, preserve community institutions (especially those that offer peacebuilding solutions), support local leaders, and enable local authorities to meet community needs. In doing so, BFRP minimizes and mitigates the downstream effects of violence that threaten to keep destabilizing communities already struggling to meet their basic needs.
