Military authorities continue to suspend CSOs, including largest student union

INTRODUCTION

This update covers civic space developments in Burkina Faso from 5th May to 11th June 2026, and includes the following:

• Authorities continue to suspend associations, including largest student union
• Journalist Atiana Serge Oulon’s whereabouts remain unknown two years after abduction.
• Influential Sunni Imam, Mohamad Ishaq Kindo arrested.
• Indefinite suspension of French television channel TV5 Monde.
• Public demonstration following the arrest of Imam Mohamad Ishaq Kindo.

GENERAL

UN Human Rights Office forced to shut down after suspension of its operations

On 2nd July 2026, the UN Human Rights Office announced plans to close down its office in Burkina Faso by 30th November 2026. The announcement comes three months after the military authorities suspended the office’s operations over a press release on 5th February by UN human rights chief Volker Türk urging Burkina Faso to uphold civic space. The military authorities accused international organisations of behaving like “super police,” claiming they had overstepped the country’s sovereignty. The UN Human Rights Office has operated in Burkina Faso since 2019, expanding into a fully mandated country office in 2021 under a host-country agreement signed with the government.

Meanwhile, in September 2025, Burkina Faso, along with Niger and Mali, initiated a year-long process to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

ASSOCIATION

Suspension of student union

On 26th May 2026, Émile Zerbo, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Mobility, issued an order suspending the General Student Union of Burkina Faso (UGEB) for a renewable period of three months. UGEB was established in 1960 and is one of the country’s largest student organisations. The suspension followed the publication of a statement issued by UGEB criticising the government’s security record, in particular the inability of the military authorities to restore security after nearly four years in power.

Following UGEB’s suspension, the Public Prosecutor of the Ouagadougou High Court II, announced the opening of “a judicial investigation targeting the authors and any accomplices involved in the UGEB statement.” The Prosecutor cited articles 312-11 and 361-19 of the Penal Code as the legal grounds for the investigation, which addresses “demoralisation of the defence and security forces” and “public glorification of terrorism”, offences that could result in prison terms ranging from one to ten years and fines up to ten million CFA Francs (approximately USD 17,600).

According to the UGEB, on the night of 25th to 26th May 2026, a group of unidentified armed individuals dressed in civilian clothes, abducted about ten students, including its president, Wilfried Bazo, from the Coalition of Student Organisations (CODE) headquarters in Ouagadougou.

UGEB also noted that the suspension followed the unresolved cases of activist and student Idrissa Badini, who was abducted on 24th April 2025, and student Edouard Kabré, who was abducted on 1st January 2025, neither of whom have been brought before judicial authorities or charged.

Authorities continue to suspend associations

On 12th May 2026, Émile Zerbo, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Mobility, issued an order suspending 247 associations for alleged “failure to renew their governing bodies”. A month later, on 11th June 2026, the Minister suspended another 245 civil society organisations (CSOs) using the same grounds, bringing the total of suspended or dissolved associations since mid-April 2026 to 1,174 CSOs, according to media sources.

Authorities invoked law n°011-2025/ALT of 17 July 2025, relating to freedom of association in Burkina Faso, for the suspensions. This law imposes strict obligations on renewal of governing bodies and administrative declaration, with sanctions ranging up to dissolution for organisations failing to comply within prescribed timeframes set for associations to comply with the new regulations.

Associations that were affected include those engaged in human rights protection, support for internally displaced populations, care for victims of terrorist attacks, promotion of maternal health in rural areas, education and protection of women’s rights. During the suspension, only activities aimed at regularising each association’s legal status are permitted, with lifting of suspension contingent on obtaining a renewal of registration.

On 9th June 2026, the Minister signed ministerial orders suspending two Islamic associations for a period of three months: the Coordination of Young Muslims of Burkina (CJMB), and Association As Salam, both of which operate in social, humanitarian, and educational domains. The CJMB was suspended for alleged acts of “public disorder”​, while As Salam was accused of having carried out activities that did not conform to its purpose.

As previously reported by the CIVICUS Monitor, between 15th April and 5th May 2026, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility suspended 118 civil society organisations and 564 associations.

EXPRESSION

Journalist Atiana Serge Oulon’s whereabouts remain unknown two years after abduction

As reported previously on the Monitor, activists and journalists have been subjected to enforced conscription into the armed forces in Burkina Faso or subjected to enforced disappearances and abductions. On 24th June 2024, armed men claiming to be intelligence agents abducted Atiana Serge Oulon, director of the newspaper L’Événement, from his home in Ouagadougou. President Ibrahim Traoré acknowledged that a journalist had been arrested for allegedly spreading falsehoods, with the government later stating Oulon had been conscripted into the armed forces. However, an investigation by Reporters Without Borders in May 2026 revealed that security forces secretly detained and tortured Oulon in private houses converted into unofficial prisons in Ouagadougou, holding him without contact with a lawyer or family members. Oulon, known for investigative journalism exposing alleged corruption within the security forces, was held incommunicado and deprived of food.

Two years after the abduction of the journalist, his whereabouts remain unknown.

Influential Sunni Imam arrested following criticism of restrictive religious freedoms bill

On 26th May 2026, hooded police and military forces arrested Mohamad Ishaq Kindo, a prominent Sunni imam, preacher, and president of the association of senior Islamic religious scholars and leaders of Burkina Faso, known as ‘Sunni Ulemas’, and took him to an unknown location. This arrest occurred after Kindo publicly criticised a religious freedom bill that was passed on 19th March 2026 by the Council of Ministers. The contentious religious bill prohibits the establishment of places of worship within public services, with exceptions for health facilities, prisons and military barracks. Two days before Kindo’s arrest, an audio recording widely circulated on social media showed the imam criticising the bill. In his audio sermon, Mohamad Ishaq Kindo warned the authorities against any attempt to ban prayers in public spaces and urged leaders to “consider the implications of their actions before proceeding.” The Federation of Islamic Associations of Burkina Faso (FAIB) released a statement noting that they had not received official reasons for Kindo’s arrest and had initiated the necessary conversations with authorities to seek clarification. Eyewitnesses reported that numerous Kindo supporters sustained injuries while attempting to intervene and prevent his arrest.

Media regulator bans French television channel TV5 Monde

On 5th May 2026, the Higher Council for Communication (CSC), Burkina Faso’s media regulatory body, through decision number 2026-018/CSC, indefinitely suspended the broadcast of French television channel TV5 Monde across the national territory. In the statement announcing TV5 Monde’s suspension, CSC President Wendingoudi Louis Modeste Ouédraogo stated that the ban followed “the observation of numerous violations of law, ethics and professional standards in the treatment of subjects related to the fight against terrorism in Burkina Faso and current affairs concerning terrorist attacks that occurred on 25th April 2026 in Mali.” The CSC accuses TV5 Monde’s coverage between April and May 2026 of containing elements of “disinformation” and “apology of terrorist acts,” including the use of amateur footage “without ensuring their credibility” and emphasis on “the supposed prowess of terrorist groups.” The CSC further accused TV5 Monde of being “complicit in the apology of terrorist acts and in an enterprise of destabilising Malian institutions, and consequently the space of the Alliance of Sahel States”, a confederation of states comprising Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

As previously reported by the CIVICUS Monitor, TV5 Monde was previously suspended by the CSC on 27th April and 18th June 2024. During the initial suspension, TV5 Monde, along with other media outlets, faced accusations for reporting on a Human Rights Watch report, according to which the army allegedly killed 223 civilians in February 2024 in Nodin and Soro, in the north of the country. For the subsequent suspension, the CSC accused TV5 Monde of airing an interview with exiled journalist Newton Ahmed Barry about Burkina Faso’s security situation.

PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY

Public demonstration following the arrest of Imam Mohamad Ishaq Kindo

On 26th May 2026, hundreds of Muslim faithfuls staged a peaceful demonstration to demand the immediate release of Imam Mohamad Ishaq Kindo in Ouagadougou, following his arrest on 26th May by police and military personnel (see expression). In response to the demonstration, security forces employed forceful tactics to disperse the crowd. Witnesses reported that police and military personnel used tear gas to break up the gathering. According to sources following the demonstrations, several supporters of the Imam were arrested. According to reports that circulated on social media, those arrested were later seen dressed in military uniforms undergoing physical exercises at a military camp in Ouagadougou. The FAIB subsequently called for calm, restraint, and serenity among the Muslim faithful and instructed regional coordination to sensitise communities on respect for institutions and preservation of social peace.