Coalition of Human Rights Organisations Condemn Repression of Media in Burkina Faso

By: Michael Mike

African citizen movements, activists, campaigners, civil society actors strongly condemn the ongoing repression of journalists and media actors, as well as the drastic closing of civic space in Burkina Faso

The day after their arrest, the government decided to dissolve the AJB, justifying the measure on the grounds of alleged non-compliance with a 2015 law governing associations.

‘According to the law. there is no association called the Association of Journalists of Burkina, declared the Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo, in a press
release.

On March 30, the Executive Secretary of Balai Citoyen, Ousmane Lankoande, was abducted by the military junta upon his return from an event in Cotonou, Benin. Just days prior, another Balai Citoyen activist,
Amadou Sawadogo, was also kidnapped in Ouagadougou. Both individuals remain missing, and their whereabouts are still unknown.

These incidents reflect the increasingly repressive environment in Burkina Faso, where civil society actors are targeted and silenced under the current regime.

Several journalists and media figures were kidnapped and reported missing in 2024, including Atiana Serges Oulon, Bienvenu Apiou, James Dembélé, Mamadou Ali Compaoré, Kalifara Séré and Adama Bayala.

All were known for their criticism of the ruling junta. Until then, Burkina
Faso enjoyed a dynamic, professional and pluralist media landscape.

The country had more than 80 newspapers (Sidwaya, L’Événement, Le Pays), 185 radio stations (Omega FM), around 30 television channels (Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina, BF1) and more than a hundred
news websites (faso.net, Faso 7, Burkina 24).

Since the junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré came to power on 30 September 2022, censorship has intensified. The authorities began by banning access to several international media such as Deutsche Welle, Le Monde.fr, The Guardian, BBC, Voice of America, RFI, France 24 and
Jeune Afrique, accusing them of ‘harming the national effort against armed jihadist groups’

As a result, Burkina Faso saw its ranking in the World Press Freedom Index drop from 58ᵉ place in 2023 to 86ᵉ in 2024.

Repression is not limited to journalists. Political activists, human rights defenders and artists are either kidnapped or forced into exile. On 18 March, journalist Idrissa Barry, a member of the political movement
Servir et non se servir (Sens), was abducted in broad daylight after his organisation denounced massacres of civilians attributed to the army.

On 22 March, four other members of the movement suffered the same fate. In addition, the movement’s national coordinator, a lawyer and
co-founder of the Balai Citoyen collective, has been imprisoned since July 2024 on trumped-up charges of ‘conspiracy and criminal association’
.
On 25 May 2024, the junta extended the transition by five years at a national conference held behind closed doors. Traditional political parties have been excluded from the decision-making process, and the new charter imposes a criterion of ‘patriotism’ for membership of the transitional government and assembly, making opposition virtually impossible.

In fact, Burkina Faso is no longer in transition, since Captain Ibrahim
Traoré has been appointed President of Burkina Faso, a title conferred
only on an elected president. Furthermore, on 1 April 2025, in a speech broadcast on national television, the leader of the putschists officially decreed the end of democracy in Burkina Faso, proclaiming a
progressive popular revolution.

According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025, Burkina Faso has been ranked as the country most affected by terrorism for the second year running. The central Sahel region, where Burkina Faso is located, has
become the epicentre of terrorism, accounting for more than half of all
terrorism-related deaths worldwide.

A statement by a coalition of human rights organisations at the weekend said: “Burkina Faso is the country most affected by terrorism in the Sahel, according to the Global Terrorism Index. However, this situation must not be used as a pretext for the repression of fundamental freedoms.
We recall that kidnappings, carried out outside any legal judicial framework, violate several articles of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).
We, citizens’ movements and civil society organisations committed to the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms, demand : The immediate release of all abducted journalists and pro-democracy activists; An end to the repression of dissent voices and pro-democracy
activists; An end to the restriction of civic space and the opening up of political space for citizens’ organisations, political parties and movements to flourish; Respect for and protection of the fundamental rights of Burkina Faso’s citizens, in accordance with Article 1 of the Transition Charter adopted on 25 March 2024.

“In the face of the systematic repression of dissent voices in Burkina Faso, we urge the ECOWAS/AES mediators, and the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, to intervene and make the release of these
journalists and human rights activists an absolute priority.

“Finally, we reaffirm our unwavering solidarity and support for the pro-democracy activists in Burkina Faso, who are working courageously to defend fundamental rights and civil liberties in the face of the increasing repression.”

Coalition of Human Rights Organisations Condemn Repression of Media in Burkina Faso