In 2024, substantial housing, land, and property (HLP) issues were identified in Burkina Faso, resulting in increased community tensions and heightened shelter needs among displaced persons. The report highlights the urgent necessity for secure land access and coordinated support among humanitarian, development, and peace practitioners to ensure effective assistance and empower affected communities.
In January 2025, the Project 21 Bulletin on housing, land, and property (HLP) issues in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Western Niger highlighted significant problems affecting forcibly displaced individuals. In 2024, two-fifths of reported protection incidents involved violations of property rights, while another two-fifths indicated that HLP concerns were a major cause of tensions between communities. Conflict-induced HLP issues are increasingly threatening civilians, often leading to family displacement due to extortion, theft, and looting.
The report revealed that forcibly displaced persons have shelter needs twice that of host communities, indicating a severe housing crisis. Furthermore, half of both displaced and host communities identified housing construction and rehabilitation as their foremost requirement, emphasizing the structural nature of these HLP issues within the region. The influx of displaced populations exacerbates existing challenges by increasing the burdens on service provision and employment opportunities in semi-urban areas.
This situation contributes to increased tenure insecurity and the risk of forced evictions, particularly in locations where land access is governed by conflicting customary and legal systems. Effective land management is essential to provide meaningful assistance to affected individuals, as establishing shelters or income-generating agricultural activities necessitates secure access to land.
Despite the challenges, data indicates that donations remain the primary means of securing land (65%) in the Central Sahel. Notably, communities reported that HLP factors positively influenced their willingness to return voluntarily or integrate with local communities. Addressing HLP issues requires enhanced cooperation among humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding practitioners, ensuring a coordinated response to land rights, emergency shelter needs, and infrastructure deficiencies.
The Project 21 bulletin underscores the critical nature of housing, land, and property issues in the Central Sahel, particularly regarding the rights of forcibly displaced individuals. The alarming rise in protection incidents and the pronounced shelter needs indicate an urgent requirement for effective land management strategies. Collaboration among various sectors is essential to address these multifaceted challenges, thereby fostering a harmonious living environment for displaced and host communities alike.
Original Source: reliefweb.int
