Market supply disruptions persist in areas facing severe security challenges

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Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes are expected in the municipality of Arbinda (Karo-Peli Province), with pockets of households in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) due to the deterioration of their food consumption. The market has not been supplied for seven months, and food shortages are being observed. Moreover, the assistance that resumed in October is insufficient and irregular. Less than 20 percent of the population received it, and beneficiaries were compelled to voluntarily share their food with others. In addition, harvests from the agricultural season — consumed prematurely — are almost completely depleted for most households, who now rely mainly on leafy vegetables (sorrel, Cassia tora) and other wild-gathered products to supplement very small quantities of cereals or legumes. Adults are forced to limit their own consumption to prioritize children, and some go an entire day without eating.
Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes also persist in the municipality of Djibo (Djelgodji Province). The market was last supplied nearly five months ago, and basic cereals are beginning to run out due to high demand and speculative behavior among traders. Household stocks from their own production continue to support the majority of families, but with assistance suspended and shortages ongoing in the market, poor households are reducing both meal size and frequency to one meal per day and still face food consumption gaps.
Poor households in the municipality of Sebba (Yagha Province) are experiencing Stressed! (IPC Phase 2!) food insecurity due to ongoing assistance. More than half of households have received food assistance delivered by a recent convoy, which also improved the availability of staple foods in the market. The distribution of food and nutritional supplements is meeting full caloric requirements and is helping reduce food consumption gaps while easing pressure on households’ own production stocks.
In relatively calm areas of the country, markets are generally well supplied, with food availability higher than last year. Households’ own production constitutes their main source of food. As a result, market demand is lower, and cereal prices have fallen. In October, prices for staple cereals declined overall by 19 percent for maize and by 24 percent for millet and sorghum compared with last year, and remained similar to their five-year averages. However, price increases of 36 to 83 percent above the five-year average persist in high-security-challenge areas, particularly in the markets of Arbinda, Sebba, and Gayéri.

Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Burkina Faso Key Message Update November 2025: Market supply disruptions persist in areas facing severe security challenges, 2025.

This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.