The Burkina Faso Junta-led government has temporarily blocked transmission of the BBC and Voice of America radio networks following the publication of a report alleging the army’s complicity in attacks on civilians during the struggle against terrorists.
The BBC and Voice of America are two recent international media outlets impacted by the activities performed since Captain Ibrahim Traore took leadership of the West African nation in a coup in September 2022.
The communications authorities (CSC) said in a statement late Thursday that “the programmes of these two international radio networks broadcasting from Ouagadougou have been suspended for a period of two weeks.”
It went on to say that the decision to suspend BBC Africa and VOA was made in response to the broadcast and publication of a report on their digital platforms accusing the Burkinabe army of human rights violations against civilians.
The CSC criticized the report for including rushed and prejudiced declarations against the Burkinabe army in the absence of substantial evidence.
Human Rights Watch said that on February 25, soldiers in Burkina Faso’s jihadist-hit north massacred at least 223 civilians, including 56 children, in two retaliation attacks.
When AFP contacted Burkinabe officials, they did not respond to the charges.
Since a jihadist insurgency spilled over from neighboring Mali in 2015, the country has faced attacks from Al-Qaeda and Islamic State factions, resulting in about 20,000 dead and two million displaced people.
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 cover activities in the country fully and fairly.”
Junta’s Official Warning
Burkina Faso’s Communications Authority has directed internet service providers to prohibit access to BBC, VOA, and HRW websites and digital platforms in the country.
The authorities chastised the BBC and VOA for disseminating misinformation that could tarnish the Burkinabe army’s prestige and potentially cause public disruption.
Media outlets were advised not to share the controversial video, with the danger of sanctions for any that do.
It should be noted that Burkina Faso has already taken action against French media companies, including the suspension, ban, and deportation of foreign journalists.
Since Traore took office, Burkina Faso has moved away from its former colonial overlord, France, who ruled until 1960.
In recent months, the government has stopped the operations of the French media magazine Jeune Afrique and the French television channel LCI due to items that sparked military tensions.
France 24’s broadcasts were terminated in March 2023, following the suspension of Radio France Internationale (RFI). This action was motivated by allegations that both public media sources were conveying messages from extremist leaders.
The following month, correspondents from the French publications Liberation and Le Monde were expelled.
However, Sadibou Marong, a spokesperson from media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has severely condemned the suspensions of VOA and BBC, calling them “abusive” and a clear violation of the freedom to information.
According to Marong, the media outlets had only transmitted “information of general interest to the Burkinabe population.”
