Burkina Faso suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio stations for their coverage of a report by Human Rights Watch on a mass killing of civilians carried out by the country’s armed forces. The government’s communication spokesperson, Tonssira Myrian Corine Sanou, announced the suspension for two weeks and warned other media networks to avoid reporting on the story. The report by Human Rights Watch detailed how the army killed 223 civilians, including 56 children, in villages accused of cooperating with militants. Despite the international media coverage, the government took steps to suppress the information.
Burkina Faso has been struggling with violence between jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group against state-backed forces, resulting in the displacement of over 2 million people, with half being children. Most attacks go unpunished and unreported in a nation controlled by a repressive leadership that silences dissidents. The army has been accused of massacring civilians in villages accused of collaborating with militants, with accounts of at least 70 people killed in a single attack in November. The United Nations has urged the government to reverse the suspension of the two international broadcasters and called for the immediate cessation of media restrictions and civic space limitations.
The international broadcasters affected by the suspension, BBC and Voice of America, have stood by their reporting and expressed their intentions to continue covering activities in Burkina Faso. The United Nations emphasized the importance of freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom in any society, especially during a transitional period like Burkina Faso is currently experiencing. Reports of large numbers of civilians, including children, being killed in several villages in northern Burkina Faso have surfaced, but have not been immediately verified by the Associated Press.
Since the jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and IS began in Burkina Faso nine years ago, over 20,000 people have been killed. Despite the promises made by the junta led by Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in September 2022, to combat militants, analysts believe that violence in the country has only worsened. Nearly half of Burkina Faso’s territory remains outside of government control, leading to frustration with the lack of progress despite years of Western military assistance. The junta has broken military ties with France and sought security support from Russia instead in an effort to address the ongoing security challenges in the country.
