Animal Welfare in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso — a landlocked Sahelian nation of 22 million people — is experiencing one of the world's most severe and underreported humanitarian crises, driven by jihadist insurgency that has spread from Mali since 2015. Over 2 million people are internally displaced; significant portions of the country are inaccessible to humanitarian organizations; and the collapse of state authority in northern and eastern regions has had devastating consequences for both humans and animals.

Country Context

Burkina Faso ("Land of Incorruptible People") is among the world's poorest countries, with per-capita income around $800 USD. Agriculture — primarily subsistence farming and pastoralism — supports the majority of the population. The country has experienced two military coups since 2022, reflecting the depth of the governance crisis. Jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS have taken control of large rural areas, displacing communities and disrupting the agricultural and pastoral systems that sustain both human and animal welfare.

Burkina Faso at a Glance:

Pastoral Livestock and Conflict

Burkina Faso's Sahel regions have been centers of pastoralism for centuries, with Fulani (Peul) herders moving cattle, sheep, and goats seasonally across vast areas. The jihadist insurgency has severely disrupted these systems: herders have been killed, livestock stolen by armed groups, and traditional grazing routes rendered inaccessible by conflict and banditry.

Livestock Theft and Destruction: Armed groups in Burkina Faso have systematically stolen livestock from farming and herding communities — both as a subsistence strategy and as economic disruption targeting civilian populations. Communities that lose their livestock lose their primary form of wealth, food security, and agricultural labor capacity simultaneously.
Farmer-Herder Conflict: Climate change has compressed grazing areas as desertification advances southward, pushing herders into farming communities' agricultural zones. This competition for land and water has generated violent conflict between farming communities (primarily sedentary farmers) and herding communities (primarily Fulani pastoralists), with livestock killed in retaliatory attacks. Burkina Faso has been a flashpoint for this broader Sahelian conflict pattern.

Working Animals

Donkeys are essential to Burkinabè agriculture — used for transport, plowing, and water carrying across the country. Working donkey welfare is not systematically monitored, but organizations including The Donkey Sanctuary have worked in West Africa and recognize Burkina Faso as an area of significant need. Conflict has severely limited program access.

Wildlife and Conservation

Burkina Faso hosts the W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) transboundary protected area complex — one of West Africa's most important wildlife refuges, shared with Benin and Niger. This complex supports West African lions, elephants, hippopotamuses, leopards, and diverse savanna species. Jihadist groups have occupied parts of this complex, forcing rangers to abandon posts and allowing unchecked poaching. The wildlife conservation crisis in the WAP complex is acute and receiving increased international attention.

WAP Complex Crisis: Rangers have been killed by jihadist groups; some ranger posts have been abandoned; and poaching has increased significantly in areas where protection has collapsed. Lions — already severely reduced in West Africa — face acute pressure in the WAP complex. African Parks took over management of Arly National Park from the Burkinabè government in 2020, partly to provide more resources and security for conservation, but ongoing conflict severely limits operations.

Pathways Forward

Animal welfare improvement in Burkina Faso is fundamentally constrained by conflict and poverty. Near-term international priorities: support FAO emergency livestock programs, advocate for inclusion of livestock protection in humanitarian response frameworks, support African Parks and other conservation organizations maintaining presence in WAP complex, and document conflict-related wildlife impacts. Long-term improvement requires security stabilization, economic development, and integration of welfare into agricultural development frameworks — aspirations requiring sustained international commitment over decades.