Humanitarians call it a “neglected” catastrophe.
International News
Jihadist Bloodshed Fills Burkina Displacement Camps
Feebly shaded by trees in the blistering heat, desperate civilians throng a displacement camp in tents and ramshackle shelters after fleeing jihadist violence in northeastern Burkina Faso.
Abandoning their homes and farms as the militants swooped, thousands have run for their lives to these camps near the town of Dori, where little hope awaits them.
“They came to our village and threatened us. They stole our cattle. They killed our people,” said one of the survivors, Kirissi Sawadogo.
“That is why we had to flee and came here,” she said, preparing a meal of millet paste.
From her home village of Lelly in the Sahel desert region, she fled to Wendou 2, an offshoot of a vast initial camp of the same name that is now home to 3,000 people.
Armed jihadists have for almost 10 years been terrorising civilians in this African country on the southern fringe of the Sahel.
The displaced people rarely speak of the groups’ names, but authorities generally identify them as militants linked to Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group.
In September 2023, armed men attacked the Wendou camp, killing eight inhabitants.
– ‘Neglected’ displacement crisis –
A new ranking by the non-government Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) published on Monday judged that Burkina Faso is suffering the most neglected displacement crisis for the second year in a row.
A quarter of the estimated two million displaced people in Burkina Faso are from the Sahel region in the north, according to the country’s latest official data, which date from 2023.
At the start of this year, 85 per cent of schools and 69 per cent of the health centres in the Sahel sector were closed, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Visiting the camps in late May, the NRC’s head Jan Egeland said the Sahel “is an area which is systematically overlooked”.
He said the situation had worsened due to a diplomatic crisis between Western donor states and the military leaders who took power in recent years in three countries struggling with jihadists: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The Burkinabe authorities frequently claim victories over the jihadists, but no end to the violence is in sight and part of the country is beyond the army’s control.
– Illegal gold-panning –
In the Torodi camp, another desolate displacement centre near Dori, Amadou Dicko said he arrived six months ago with his family.
“We are just here with nothing,” he said. “We have to rely on ourselves to survive.”
Some of the men earn a handful of CFA francs from illegal gold-panning in the surrounding region, despite the danger posed there by the armed groups.
Even the children in the camp “try to bring home something to eat”, said Aissetou Amadou, another inhabitant who arrived six months ago.
She fled her home village near the town of Gorgadji after being threatened by “armed men”.
“Yesterday (the children) managed to bring back two kilos (4.4 pounds) of rice” that they bought in the town, she said, sitting on a mat in a tiny makeshift shelter of wood and tarpaulin.
“We cooked half of it in the evening and the rest this morning,” she said.
She did not know when the family’s next meal would come.
– Food convoys threatened –
The UN World Food Programme flies in some essentials to the displaced here.
But most food, fuel and farming supplies must still go by road, under army escort, through a dangerous stretch of road frequently targeted by jihadists.
Dori, a big town on the highway to the capital Ouagadougou, is a key hub for such supplies.
By the roadside stand dozens of trucks, waiting for permission to leave in a convoy on the perilous route through the Dori district.
“In the past you could load your vehicle at 7:00 pm in the evening in Ouagadougou and by 6:00 am it would be at the store” to unload the delivery, said Amadou Hamidou Dicko, president of the Dori traders’ association.
“Nowadays, you have to wait two weeks, a month or a month and a half,” he added. “It depends, because they never tell you the exact day when the convoy is going to leave.”
– Food prices soar –
The restrictions have driven up the price of trucking and, in turn, the cost of products in the shop.
“Two or three years ago, a 50-kilogram sack of rice sold for 16 or 17,000 CFA (about $28). Now it’s 27,000 CFA,” said Dicko.
Traders sometimes resort to driving by alternative routes without an escort — at risk of having their goods and trucks stolen or destroyed.
Back in the Wendou 2 camp, Kirissi Sawadogo finishes preparing her millet paste. In the evening, she will add a bit of water and salt to it and feed it to her children.
Another refugee in the camp, Hawa Mama, a red scarf covering her head, said she had “no strength left to move”, having also fled her village.
“Even though it is hard here, back there it is worse,” she said, in the Fulfulde language of the Fulani people.
“We have no choice but to stay here. There is nothing left for us back there.”
AFP
International News
Nottingham Forest Sacks 5th Manager In 10 Months, To Wrap Up Oliver Glasner’s Deal
Oliver Glasner is in advanced talks to replace Vitor Pereira as Nottingham Forest head coach, a move which would see the Austrian become the club’s fifth manager in less than a year.
Pereira announced his departure from the club in a statement on Wednesday, saying that it came as a “complete surprise to me and without any warning”.
Glasner is a free agent after leaving Crystal Palace — where he won the FA Cup in 2024-25 and then the Community Shield and Conference League the following campaign — and is set to stay in the Premier League.
The 51-year-old confirmed in January that he would leave Palace at the end of the season after two years in charge.
On Thursday, Forest confirmed Pereira’s coaching staff Filipe Almeida, Luis Miguel, Bruno Moura, Marco Knoop and Pedro Lopes had all left the club alongside the head coach.
Pereira, 57, was appointed Forest head coach in February on an 18-month contract which runs until 2027.
The Athletic reported in May Forest had been planning to show their faith in Pereira by handing the head coach a new long-term contract, but those talks were subsequently put on hold.
“Today marks the end of my journey as head coach of Nottingham Forest,” he said in his statement.
“I want to say a sincere thank you to everyone connected with this incredible football club. Although this decision came as a complete surprise to me and without any warning, I fully respect the club’s right to make the decisions it believes are best for its future.
“Naturally, I am disappointed and saddened. I truly believed in what we were building together, and I leave with a sense of pride in everything we achieved over the past months.
“Together, we enjoyed a memorable end to the season. We secured the club’s Premier League status, reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, and created moments that will stay with me forever. Most importantly, I saw a group of players grow in confidence, belief and togetherness.
“I leave Nottingham Forest with no bitterness or resentment—only respect, gratitude and wonderful memories. Football is full of unexpected moments, and while this chapter has ended sooner than I expected, I will always look back on my time here with pride and affection.”
The Portuguese succeeded Sean Dyche and was Forest’s fourth permanent boss of the season following the departures of Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.
Nuno had led Forest to Europa League qualification the previous season but he departed in September, less than three months after signing a new deal. Postecoglou was appointed his replacement but was dismissed just 39 days later. Dyche took charge of the team in October before his dismissal in February.
Forest were three points above the relegation zone when Pereira was appointed and he subsequently steered his side to Premier League safety with two games of the campaign remaining.
His appointment marked his second managerial spell in the Premier League after guiding Wolverhampton Wanderers to safety during the 2024-25 campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo has publicly countered suggestions from his sister, Katia Aveiro, that he intends to retire from international football following the World Cup.
The Portuguese legend recently led his team to the round of 16 following a 2-1 victory over Croatia.
Ronaldo continued to be a pivotal player for his country, having scored the equalising goal from the penalty spot after going one goal down in the second half.
Following his goal, he became the oldest player to score in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.
Reports from Portuguese media had quoted Aveiro stating that the current tournament would be Ronaldo’s final appearance for the national team.
Before the recent match against Croatia, Aveiro was quoted as saying, “From the information I have, from a reliable source, I believe that this is the last dance, so let’s enjoy it. I strongly believe this is the farewell.”
However, the football icon has made it clear that his focus remains solely on the present, not on his future.
“My future isn’t important right now,” Ronaldo stated. “I’ll have time; after winning or losing, I’ll talk to my family and then make the best decision.”
The legendary forward, who recently secured a trophy in Saudi Arabia, holds the record for both appearances and goals for his national team, with 146 goals in 232 caps.
The UEFA Appeals Body has announced that Czech club Karvina is banned from participating in next season’s Europa League. UEFA made the decision based on competition regulations, ruling that Karvina “directly or indirectly participated in activities aimed at manipulating or influencing the results of domestic matches,” as stated in the official resolution.
As a result of this decision, Karvina’s spot as domestic cup winner will be taken by Viktoria Plzeň, with Viktoria Plzeň’s second qualifying round spot going to Hradec Králové. Jablonec will fill the vacant Conference League spot originally held by Hradec Králové.
In the Europa League, Hradec Králové will face Tromsø. In the Conference League, Jablonec will face Varaždin.
Viktoria Plzeň will learn their opponent in the Europa League playoff draw on Monday, August 3.
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