Burkina Faso has suspended radio networks BBC and Voice of America from broadcasting for airing a rights NGO report accusing the army of attacks on civilians in its battle against jihadists.
The country has been battling attacks from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State since a jihadist insurgency swept in from neighboring Mali in 2015. Since then, around 20,000 people have been killed in Burkina Faso and around two million have been displaced.
"The programs of these two international radio networks broadcasting from Ouagadougou have been suspended for a period of two weeks," the country's communications authority (CSC) announced late on Thursday, April 26. It said the decision had been taken because BBC Africa and the VOA had aired and also published a report on their digital platforms "accusing the Burkina army of abuses against the civilian population."
International NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in their report on Thursday that soldiers in Burkina Faso's jihadist-stricken north had killed at least 223 villagers, including 56 children, in two revenge attacks on February 25.
VOA said on Friday it had sought reactions to the HRW report "from several Burkinabe officials" but received no response and intended "to continue to fully and fairly cover activities in the country." Burkinabe authorities contacted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) have not commented on the accusations.
Official warning
The CSC said the report contained "hasty and biased declarations without tangible proof against the Burkinabe army." It also said the "approach" of the BBC and VOA "undermines the cardinal principles of information processing in that it constitutes disinformation likely to bring discredit to the Burkinabe army." It said this could also create disturbances to public order.
The CSC said it had "directed" internet service providers to suspend access to the sites and other digital platforms of the BBC, VOA and HRW from Burkinabe territory. The British and US radio stations are the latest international media organizations to be targeted since Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in the West African country in a September 2022 coup.
The communications authority urged all other media to refrain from carrying the article, warning that any offenders could face sanctions. Burkina Faso has already targeted several French media outlets with suspensions, bans or the deportation of foreign correspondents.
In March 2023, it also suspended all broadcasts by the France 24 news channel a few months after also suspending Radio France Internationale (RFI). It accused both public media outlets of having relayed jihadist leaders' messages. The following month the correspondents of French newspapers Liberation and Le Monde were expelled.
In September, the junta-led government suspended the print and online operations of French media outlet Jeune Afrique in the country after the publication of two articles about tensions within the military. In June, it had suspended French TV channel LCI for three months.