Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta has intensified its crackdown on press freedom by arresting three prominent journalists, a move that rights groups say reflects a growing pattern of repression in the country.
According to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report released Thursday, Guezouma Sanogo and Boukari Ouoba, the president and vice-president of the Association of Journalists of Burkina Faso, were arrested alongside Luc Pagbelguem, a journalist with the local television channel BF1. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
The arrests come just days after the Journalists’ Association held a press conference on March 21, condemning increasing restrictions on media freedom under the junta and demanding the release of previously detained journalists. Pagbelguem had covered the event before being taken by plainclothes police on Monday. A day later, the Journalists’ Association was officially dissolved by the authorities.
Mounting Repression in the Sahel
Burkina Faso’s military government, which seized power in a 2022 coup, has increasingly targeted journalists, activists, and opposition figures. In recent months, the junta has blocked major media outlets, arrested reporters, and suppressed dissent under the pretext of maintaining national security.
The repression mirrors a broader trend within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a coalition of military-led governments in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. All three countries have distanced themselves from traditional alliances like ECOWAS while deepening security ties with Russia, particularly through the Wagner Group, to combat jihadist insurgencies.
However, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), this shift has failed to improve security. Instead, the number of civilian combat deaths has risen compared to pre-coup levels, with media restrictions making it increasingly difficult to verify or report on these developments.
Fear and Forced Exile
The latest wave of arrests follows the detention of activist and journalist Idrissa Barry earlier this month. In April last year, authorities blocked multiple news organizations for reporting on alleged human rights violations by the military.
HRW warns that dozens of journalists have fled Burkina Faso, fearing imprisonment, torture, or even enforced disappearance. A journalist who recently left the capital, Ouagadougou, told HRW:
“I left and I will not return. Free media is dead here; only government propaganda remains.”
With the junta tightening its grip on power, the future of press freedom in Burkina Faso and across the Sahel appears increasingly bleak.
— Ohene Anochie Reporting
