‘We would turn up to find books on fire’: the teachers risking kidnap and death to keep Burkina Faso’s schools open

Children who fled attacks by one of many groups of jihadists in the Sahel region attend a class in Dori, near the Mali-Niger borders in northern Burkina Faso. Photograph: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

Teaching in Burkina Faso is a dangerous commitment. Thousands of schools are closed and teachers forced out of the profession because of the risks they face, mostly from Islamist militants attacking schools.

Jihadist violence first broke out in 2015 but the conflict has intensified in the past few years, driven by militants who have seized up to 40% of the country. It is estimated that as many as 6.3 million people – a quarter of the population – were in need of humanitarian aid in 2024, with the country named as the world’s most neglected displacement crisis for the second year in a row.