Angelina Jolie visits refugees in Burkina Faso

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie criticized the international community’s response to militant violence in the Sahel as she visited Malian refugees at a camp in Burkina Faso. Nneka Chile has more.
Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie was in Burkina Faso on Sunday (June 20).

As a special envoy for the U.N.’s refugee agency, Jolie was visiting the Goudoubou camp.

It’s a home for those who fled violence in neighboring Mali.

“I am honored, and I am grateful to be among you and I bow my head in respect for your courage and for your strength.”

The Sahel region has suffered escalating violent attacks by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Thousands have been killed and millions displaced.

Jolie criticized the international community’s response.

“So it is to that we are at a breaking point, we are broken, the way the international community try to address this conflict and insecurity is broken, it is erratic, it is unequal, it is built on inherited privilege, it is subject to the whim of political leaders and it is geared towards the interests of powerful countries, including my own, at the expense of others.”

The refugees in Goudoubou, who escaped insecurity in Mali, have found similar circumstances in Burkina Faso.

Earlier this month 132 residents of a village near the border with Niger were killed by insurgents.

Ouanka Cisse fled Mali in 2012 and now lives in the camp with his 26 family members.

“Since I arrived in Burkina Faso, I’m afraid even in Goudebou. We don’t sleep at night, it’s really hard. Burkina as well as Mali is unstable.”