- Burkina Faso's Superior Communications Council has suspended BBC Africa and Voice of America radio stations, the rebroadcasts of their programs, and access to their websites and digital platforms for two weeks. Voice of America
- The news outlets' suspension follows their coverage of a Human Rights Watch report published on Thursday, which alleged that the Burkinabe armed forces had killed about 223 civilians, including 56 children. Africanews
- According to the HRW, Burkina Faso's soldiers "summarily executed" 179 people in Soro and at least 44 others in nearby Nondin in February, apparently in a "widespread military campaign" against civilians who they claimed had been collaborating with armed groups. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
- Earlier this month, the Associated Press verified accounts of a similar army attack that left at least 70 people dead in another village in November. However, it couldn't verify UN claims of additional reports that large numbers of civilians had been killed in northern Burkina Faso. Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- According to the US-based nonprofit Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, over 20K people have been killed since violence connected to al-Qaida and Islamic State first hit the country about a decade ago. Associated Press (LR: 3 CP: 5)
- Last year, the military junta, which took over Burkina Faso in 2022 pledging to end Islamist insurgency, suspended several French news outlets, notably the daily Le Monde, the Jeune Afrique magazine, and France24. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
Pro-establishment narrative:
- Yet again, the coup regime has outrageously suspended international media outlets for reporting on military misconduct allegations, clearly showing its willingness to suppress journalism carried out in the public interest. Burkinabe authorities must reverse this directive and refrain from censoring the press once and for all.
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS
Establishment-critical narrative:
- Burkina Faso will continue to suspend international news outlets whenever they engage in efforts to meddle in the country's internal affairs and publish false reports of atrocities. It's unacceptable for foreign-based media to try to manipulate the nation with subversive propaganda.
SPUTNIK AFRICA
Nerd narrative:
- There's a 40% chance that Burkina Faso will experience a civil war before 2036, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
METACULUS (LR: 3 CP: 3)