Burkina Faso
"About 800,000 people have been forced to flee their homes because of the conflict, which has now killed more than 4,000 people since it began in 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event data project.
Armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), as well as local bandits, have been killing civilians and members of the security forces alike. Security forces and local defence militias, or koglweogos, have also been accused of carrying out massacres and extrajudicial killings against large numbers of civilians.
In January, a law was passed allowing civilians to be armed, in the hope they could assist the military in the fight against the armed groups.
Human rights groups have expressed serious concerns that arming untrained civilians will lead to even more violence, as has been the case in neighbouring Mali.
The blockade of important towns is now adding to the government's security frustrations, according to Heni Nsaibia, who runs Menastream, a research consultancy monitoring the conflict."