Burkina Faso suspends BBC, VOA over HRW massacre report as violence escalates

Burkina Faso has suspended BBC and Voice of America (VOA) radio stations in response to their coverage of a report by Human Rights Watch accusing the country’s armed forces of massacring 223 civilians, including children. The communications ministry spokesperson warned other media outlets not to cover the story during a two-week suspension imposed late last Thursday, just after Burkina Faso said it had begun lifting emergency restrictions enacted in February following coups in January and September of 2022. Human Rights Watch’s report was widely covered by international news agencies including AP which verified accounts from November that the army killed at least 70 people, mostly babies, after accusing villagers of collaborating with militants. The UN called for Burkina Faso to reverse its suspension decision stating restrictions on media freedom and civic space must stop immediately as accessibility to information is crucial in any society, especially during the country’s transition period. In addition, reports emerged that large numbers of civilians including children have been killed in several villages across northern Burkina Faso but AP could not independently verify these claims at this time. The violence has escalated since 2015 with more than twenty thousand deaths reported by Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, a US-based nonprofit organization. Although the current junta led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré promised to tackle militancy when he seized power in September last year, analysts suggest that violence has only worsened since then as around half of Burkina Faso’s territory remains outside government control. Frustrated with Western military assistance, the junta terminated ties with France and now looks towards Russia for security support instead.