Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso, a West African nation, has stirred controversy by suspending the broadcasting of two prominent radio networks, BBC and Voice of America (VOA), over their coverage of a report implicating the Burkinabe army in the execution of civilians.
The report, released by the international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday (Apr 25), alleges that the military forces of Burkina Faso summarily executed 223 individuals in two villages in February, with at least 56 children among the victims.
The Superior Council for Communication in Burkina Faso announced the suspension, stating, “the programmes of these two international radio networks broadcasting from Ouagadougou have been suspended for a period of two weeks.”
Why did Burkina Faso suspend BBC and VOA?
The country’s regulatory body cited the airing and publication of the report on their digital platforms, accusing the Burkinabe army of abuses against civilians, as the grounds for the suspension. They deemed the broadcasts by BBC Africa and VOA as disseminating “disinformation likely to discredit the Burkinabe army.”
“The [Superior Council of Communications] found the content of the article to be full of peremptory and tendentious statements against the Burkinabe army, without any tangible evidence, especially as the same article calls for an independent inquiry,” remarked Burkina Faso’s media regulator.
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According to HRW, these “mass killings, among the worst army abuses in Burkina Faso since 2015, appear to be part of a widespread military campaign against civilians.” The report details atrocities, including the killing of at least 44 people, including 20 children, in Nondin village, and 179 people, including 36 children, in nearby Soro village.
The Superior Council of Communications denounced HRW’s report, stating it contains “peremptory and tendentious” claims against the army that could incite public disorder.
This isn’t the first time…
This isn’t the first time Burkina Faso has censored media. In 2023, the government suspended France 24 broadcasts for airing a 19-second clip featuring Abou Obeida Youssef al-Annabi, the self-proclaimed leader of the Islamist armed group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The country, now under military rule led by Captain Ibrahim Traore since a coup in September 2022, has faced political instability following previous coups that ousted President Roch Marc Kabore.
