As the security crisis in the Sahel gradually spreads southward, thousands of people have been forced to flee their villages in the Savanes region of northern Togo. These internally displaced persons (IDPs), often invisible in public discourse, live in precarious conditions, hosted by communities that are already vulnerable. A new report validated in the course of the week by the Emergency Programme for Strengthening Resilience and Security (PURS) aims to shed light on their daily lives while outlining avenues for a sustainable response.

Throughout 2023, the number of displaced people in the Savanes region continued to grow, rising from a few thousand in January to nearly 60,000 in September, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The majority come from border areas with Burkina Faso, which have faced repeated incursions by armed groups since 2021.

Double burden on displaced and host communities

The new multi-sectoral needs assessment report, validated on June 3, 2025, as part of the PURS framework, paints a troubling picture:

• 95% of the displaced are concentrated in the Savanes region.
  
• Over two-thirds of displaced households have inadequate food consumption.
  
• Health, education and water infrastructure are insufficient in host areas.
  
• Host communities are under increasing pressure on resources, creating latent tensions.
  

Hope for sustainable change with the Nexus approach

PURS, through the Nexus mechanism (humanitarian-development-peace coordination), proposes an integrated approach. According to Coumba Sow, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Togo, “this meeting marks a decisive step in our collective efforts to understand and effectively respond to the challenges faced by refugees, internally displaced persons and host populations. The figures in this report reflect the daily reality of thousands of families living in hope of a better life.”

Colonel Bassirou Amadou, Executive Assistant of PURS, confirmed that the evaluation results will guide future concrete actions. “This assessment strengthens our planning and monitoring systems while providing us with reliable data to steer concrete initiatives. The Humanitarian–Peace–Development triple Nexus is not just a theoretical framework. For us, it’s a daily operational model,” he explained.

Solutions rooted in local realitiesTo break the cycle of precarity, several avenues have to be considered as the Togolese government is already doing – such as supporting sustainable livelihoods and fostering social cohesion between displaced persons and host communities.
It is also crucial to train local authorities in managing internal migration crises.