Burkina Faso has temporarily halted the radio broadcasts of BBC Africa and the US-funded Voice of America (VOA) for two weeks due to their reporting on a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.
This report accused the country’s military of extrajudicial killings, including the execution of 223 people in February, with at least 56 being children. The report suggested these acts were part of an alleged campaign against those suspected of collaborating with jihadist militants.
HRW has highlighted a pattern of severe violations by the army under the guise of counterterrorism efforts and has urged for investigations into these alleged massacres.
In response, Burkina Faso’s communication council criticised the HRW report for containing assertions that could potentially incite public unrest. Consequently, they decided to suspend the aforementioned broadcasters for covering this sensitive content.
Additionally, the authorities have mandated a temporary blockage of online access to the websites and digital platforms of BBC, VOA, and Human Rights Watch within Burkina Faso. This move follows revelations from a regional prosecutor in March about 170 individuals killed by unknown attackers in the villages of Komsilga, Nodin, and Soro.
This suspension comes at a time when several Sahel countries, including Burkina Faso, are facing ongoing challenges from Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
These conflicts, originating from Mali, have resulted in thousands of deaths and displaced millions since 2012. The inability of governments to effectively safeguard civilians has led to political instability, including multiple coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since 2020.
With Inputs From Reuters
