Burkina Faso welcomes thousands expelled from guinea

Burkina Faso welcomed 26,624 people to the city of Bobo-Dioulasso after they were expelled from Guinea. The arrivals followed an operation by Guinea to crack down on illegal gold mining, which forced thousands of workers and their families to leave the country.

The National Council for Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation (CONASUR) reported that the group includes 26,021 men, 603 women, 5,458 children, and 772 people of other nationalities.

Authorities organized the transport from gathering points in Mali using 153 cars and 44 trucks. While some people returned individually, three of five organized convoys reached Burkina Faso by 10 November. The government established an interministerial system on 3 November to manage the arrivals. The Guiriko regional council serves as a reception and sorting center where teams identify and register arrivals, conduct health and security checks, and distribute humanitarian aid.

The ministry in charge of Solidarity also issued a reminder to staff to protect the dignity of the people by not sharing photos or videos of them during the distribution of donations.