Burkina Faso has temporarily suspended the programs of Voice of America (VOA) and BBC/Africa following the airing of news reports about a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing the Burkinabè army of abuses against civilian populations.
The Superior Council of Communication issued an order on Thursday for the immediate cessation of rebroadcasts and the suspension of programs from both international radio stations for a duration of two weeks.
Additionally, Burkina Faso suspended access to the websites and digital platforms of BBC, VOA, and Human Rights Watch.
Despite VOA’s coverage of the HRW report, attempts to elicit responses from various Burkinabè officials were unsuccessful.
VOA reaffirms its commitment to its reporting on Burkina Faso and plans to continue covering activities in the country comprehensively and impartially.
The military-led government of Burkina Faso has recently suspended other Western news outlets, including French television broadcasters LCI and France24, French radio broadcaster Radio France Internationale, the French daily newspaper Le Monde, and the French magazine Jeune Afrique.
Burkina Faso is among several West African nations in the Sahel region, along with Mali and Niger, that have been grappling with Islamist insurgencies.
The military seized power in a coup in 2022, citing the government’s failure to quell a jihadist insurgency that began in 2015.
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