Forced conscription of HRDs, journalists and magistrates; a dozen media outlets or programmes suspended

General

Transitional period extended by five years

In May 2024, following a national dialogue, authorities announced an extension of the transition to civilian rule by another 60 months, or five years, starting from 2nd July 2024. Additionally, the current President of the Transition of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré, will be able to run in elections after the end of the transition period.

Burkina Faso leaves regional bloc ECOWAS, forms Alliance of Sahel States (AES) together with Mali and Niger

On 28th January 2024, the military juntas of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali announced they were leaving the regional economic and political bloc ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), which was followed by formal notices to ECOWAS. In a joint statement, the military transitional authorities accused ECOWAS of being “under the influence of foreign powers”, of betraying their founding principles, of failing to support their fight against “terrorism and insecurity”, while imposing “illegal, illegitimate, inhumane and irresponsible sanctions” following the military coups in the three countries.

ECOWAS has been urging the military juntas to return to civilian rule while imposing sanctions.

During a summit in Niamey on 6th July 2024, they formalised their alliance by signing a confederation treaty.

Association

Use of abductions, forced military conscription to silence HRDs, journalists, opponents and other dissenting voices

The transitional military authorities have increasingly used abductions, enforced disappearances and mandatory military conscriptions to silence HRDs, opposition members and critics of the military transitional authorities. The authorities use a general mobilisation decree from April 2023, in which civilians are conscripted to fight the Volontaire pour la défense de la Patrie (VDP - Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland), an armed self-defence group, working as an auxiliairy force to the Armed Forces, to fight Islamist armed groups.

On 21st February 2024, individuals in civilian clothes, claiming to be state security agents, abducted activist Bassirou Badjo of the pro-democracy social movement Balai citoyen from his place of work, the General Directorate for National Solidarity and Humanitarian Assistance (DGSAH), and took him to an unknown location. The day before, on 20th February 2024, unidentified armed individuals abducted activist Rasmané Zinaba, organiser for Balai citoyen, from his home in Ouagadougou and took him to an unknown location.

In November 2023, a dozen journalists, opposition members and activists, including Bassirou Badjo and Rasmané Zinaba received a conscription order to join the fight against jihadist groups. According to Reporters without Borders (RSF), journalists Issaka Lingani, a 64-year old commentator for a political analysis programme for BF1 TV channel, and Yacouba Ladji Bama, an investigative reporter for Bam Yinga online media outlet also received conscription orders.

On 1st December 2023, security agents abducted civil society activist Daouda Diallo, Secretary-General of the Collective Against Impunity and Community Stigmatisation (CISC), in Ouagadougou, and took him to a unknown location. According to Amnesty International, a picture of Diallo, in military fatigues, was shared on social media on 4th December 2023. Diallo was released on 7th March 2024.

Despite a ruling by the Ouagadougou administrative court, on 6th December 2024, that the conscription orders are not legal and the issuing of an order for their suspension, authorities are still using targeted conscriptions to repress critics and harass human rights defenders and civil society organisations.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), magistrates, judges and prosecutors who have initiated proceedings against supporters of the military junta also received conscription orders. Between 9th and 12th August 2024, security forces notified at least seven magistrates of their conscription orders to participate in security operations against Islamist armed groups in Kaya from 14th August to 13th November 2024. HRW further said that at least six of them reported to a military base in Ouagadougou on 14th August 2024 and have not been heard from since. Among those targeted is a prosecutor at a high court in Ouagadougou who reportedly instructed police to investigate enforced disappearances, and a judge in Ziniaré, province of Oubritenga, who was in charge of a case of a junta supporter implicated in illegal mining activities, which led to a landslide, killing about 60 people.

On 13th August 2024, a court in Bobo-Dioulasso ruled that the conscription orders of two of the seven magistrate from Bobo-Dioulasso were “manifestly illegal” and ordered authorities not to carry out the orders.

Arrest, prosecution of civil society activist

On the night of 24th January 2024, individuals believed to be agents of the Directorate of State Security (DSE), detained human rights lawyer and coordinator of the movement Servir et non se servir (SENS) Guy Hervé Kam at the airport in Ouagadougou when he was about to board a flight to Bobo-Dioulasso. Kam, co-founder of social movement Balai citoyen, has publicly criticised the military transitional authorities. Kam was held incommunicado. In March and April 2024, the Ouagadougou courts ordered his release. When he was finally released close to his home on 29th May 2024, a group of armed men took him to an unknown location. On 1st June 2024, Kam appeared before a military court where he was accused of ‘undermining state security’. While released under judicial control on 10th July 2024, the human rights lawyer was again taken into custody on 2nd August 2024, following a hearing before the military prosecutor.

In June 2024, lawyers had initiated a strike in protest at the continued incarceration of Guy Hervé Kam. Previously, a sit-in to demand the release of the HRD, organised by SENS and planned for 12th April 2024 before the Directorate of National Security, was cancelled after authorities banned the protest, the latter using grounds of the suspension of political activities and the chosen location of the sit-in. Since the military coup of 30th September 2022, Communique No.3 - the political activities of civil society organisations and political parties have been suspended.

Expression

Censorship on the rise: suspension of media outlets

In the past year, Burkina Faso’s media regulator, the High Council for Communication (CSC) suspended several media outlets or programmes in retaliation for their reporting:

• On 7th October 2024, the CSC issued a statement banning the rebroadcasting of foreign programmes until further notice. Furthermore, Voice of America (VOA) was suspended for three months. The CSC accuses VOA of demoralising military troops in Burkina Faso and of having “condoned terrorism” in a VOA broadcast on 19th September 2024, which was rebroadcast by local media outlet Omega FM/TV.
• On 20th June 2024, the CSC suspended the TV programme 7 Infos, broadcast on BF1, for a period of two weeks, on accusations that commentator Kalifara Séré made “defamatory” statements, which according to the media regulator is a breach of ethics. The commentator Séré was reported missing on 19th June 2024. In the spate of nine days from Séré’s disappearance, two other BF1 journalists - Serge Oulon and Adama Bayala – were abducted. Additionally, on 25th June 2024, supporters of the military junta staged a sit-in in BF1’s courtyard to demand a change in the editorial line of the broadcaster. In response to these incidents, BF1 decided to stop broadcasting all opinion, debate and some live programmes.
• On 19th June 2024, the CSC ordered the suspension of media outlet L’Événement, including its social media, for a period of one month over the publication of an article alleging embezzlement of funds meant for the civilian auxiliaries of the military. A few days later, on 24th June 2024, the media outlet’s publishing editor, Serge Atiana Oulon, was abducted (see below).
• On 18th June 2024, the CSC suspended French broadcaster TV5 Monde for a period of six months over a broadcast a few days earlier, in which TV5 Monde interviewed exiled journalist Newton Ahmed Barry about the security situation in Burkina Faso, which CSC claims contained "biased statements bordering on disinformation". TV5 Monde was also fined 50 million CFA francs (approximately 80,300 USD).
• On 25th April 2024, the CSC suspended Voice of America (VOA) and BBC Africa for a period of two weeks. The media regulator said that these were “precautionary measures”. The two media outlets featured a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) alleging the military had killed 223 civilians in Nodin and Soro, in the north of the country, in February. On 27th April 2024, the CSC suspended seven other international media outlets, some for an indefinite period, for the same reason - covering the HRW report. It concerns: TV5 Monde, Deutsche Welle, Ouest-France, Le Monde, ApaNews, The Guardian and Agence Ecofin.

Previously, on 25th September 2023, transitional authorities issued an order suspending media outlet Jeune Afrique, until further notice, over two articles the outlet had published, alleging tensions within the Burninabé army. In August 2023, authorities had suspended Radio Oméga, until further notice, over an interview with those opposing the military coup in Niger. The suspension of the radio station was lifted on 11th September 2023.

Abduction, enforced disappearance, forced conscription of journalists

On 24th October 2024, Burkina Faso’s delegation to the 81st ordinary session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, confirmed publicly that three journalists, who had been missing since June 2024, were not subjected to enforced disappearances but had been conscripted according to the general mobilisation decree from April 2023. It concerns BF1 journalists Serge Oulon, Adama Bayala and Kalifara Séré, who disappeared between 19th and 28th June 2024 (see above), and whose whereabouts were unknown.

In November 2023, journalists Issaka Lingani, a 64-year old commentator for a political analysis programme for BF1 TV channel, and Yacouba Ladji Bama, had already been subjected to forced conscriptions.

Another remains missing. Alain Traoré, journalist for Oméga Media, was abducted from his home on 13th July 2024, reportedly by individuals claiming to be officers of the National Intelligence Agency (ANR). His whereabouts remain unknown.

Peaceful Assembly

Protests to demand an apology, retraction of UN statement

On 7th June 2024, hundreds of people gathered before the United Nations offices in Ouagadougou, on the call of Coordination nationale des associations de veille citoyenne (CNAVC; National coordination of citizen monitoring associations), a pro-military junta group. The protesters demanded a public apology from the UN and a retraction of a statement made by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressing concerns on the extrajudicial killing of citizens in Burkina Faso, including by “security and defence forces and their auxiliaries, the Volontaires pour la défense de la patrie, (who) allegedly carried out wanton killings, including summary executions”. Protesters also made an ultimatum to France, warning of "strong and irrevocable measures" if they did not move the French embassy within a month, as protesters find the location of the embassy, close to the residence of the President, a security risk.

Protests against French embassy dispersed

On 28th June 2024, CNAVC held another protest a few metres from the French embassy, to demand its relocation. Protesters were stopped in their march by the presidential guard, who blocked the road to the embassy. As protesters attempted to force their way through the barricade, they were dispersed by tear gas.

Protest against insecurity

On 20th July 2024, thousands of people reportedly protested in Djibo, in northern Burkina Faso, against increasing insecurity and the blockade of Djibo, imposed by Islamist armed groups for two years. There is reportedly also no mobile telephone network active as armed groups destroy infrastructure. Due to the isolation of Djibo, prices for basic necessities have soared.

On 19th November 2024, people in Sebba, Yagha province in northeastern Burkina Faso, gathered to protest to demand a "strengthening" of security and supplies to two communes – Sebba and Solhan - who are subjected to a blockade by Islamist armed groups.