Burkina Faso. Junta kidnaps uncomfortable journalists, warts to the army and sends it to the front

Three journalists from Burkin Faso detained on March 24 in the capital of the country, Wagadugu, in April appeared in military uniforms on recordings published in social media. All three were arrested last week for publishing critical opinions towards the military regime.

On a two -minute video recording, published on Wednesday on several Facebook accounts on Facebook, journalists Guezoura Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba and Luca Pagbelguem, stand with shaved heads surrounded by armed men wearing army uniforms Burkina Faso.

Answering soldiers' questions, journalists argue that they “report reality” and “describe the fights with jihadists on the spot.” All three were arrested last week for publishing critical opinions towards the military regime. They also wrote about the kidnappings of other journalists.

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Forced incorporation into the army of government critics and sending them to fight jihadists has become common since Junta announced the mobilization decree in 2023, justifying him with the need to fight the “enemies of the nation”.

Persecution of journalists and activists

According to Mouss, the NGOMA from the Journalists' Protection Committee in West Africa from June last year, the authorities have kidnapped or arrested seven journalists, of whom “were certainly forced into the army.”

Junta, who came to power in Burkina Faso in 2022, haunts not only journalists. In March, several activists of political movements and civil society were kidnapped, and the regime published a list of over thirty people “actively wanted” due to their alleged connections with the “terrorist undertaking”.

Burkina Faso currently ranks first in the global index of terrorism, ahead of Afghanistan, Pakistan And other countries affected by it, and before a decade in this country there was no terrorist attack. The main threat are the terrorists from the Islamic and Muslims support group (Jnim), the Islamic State of the Sahel province and Boko Haram.