Junta-led Burkina Faso suspends BBC, Voice of America for two weeks

West African country, Burkina Faso has suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio networks from broadcasting for airing a rights report accusing the army of attacks on civilians in its battle against jihadists.

 

International NGO, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday that soldiers in Burkina Faso’s jihadist-hit north had killed at least 223 villagers, including 56 children, in two revenge attacks on February 25.

The British and US radio stations are the latest international media organisations to be targeted since Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in the West African country in a September 2022 coup, and also shows how Traore is bent on destroying relations with the West but increasing relations with Russia.

“The programmes of these two international radio networks broadcasting from Ouagadougou have been suspended for a period of two weeks,” the communications authority (CSC) announced late on Thursday.

It said the decision had been taken because BBC Africa and the VOA had aired and also published a report on their digital platforms “accusing the Burkina army of abuses against the civilian population”.

The CSC said the report contained “hasty and biased declarations without tangible proof against the Burkinabe army”.

Burkina Faso has been battling attacks from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State since a jihadist insurgency swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

Since 2015, around 20,000 people have been killed in Burkina Faso and around two million have been displaced.

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 fully and fairly cover activities in the country”.

 

The CSC said it had “directed” internet service providers to suspend access to the sites and other digital platforms of the BBC, VOA and HRW from Burkinabe territory.

The CSC also said the “approach” of the BBC and VOA “undermines the cardinal principles of information processing in that it constitutes disinformation likely to bring discredit to the Burkinabe army”.

The communications authority urged all other media to refrain from carrying the article, warning that any offenders could face sanctions.

Under Traore, the junta distanced Burkina Faso from France, which ruled the country until 1960.

 

In September, the junta-led government suspended the print and online operations of French media outlet Jeune Afrique in the country after the publication of two articles about tensions within the military.

 

In June, it had suspended French TV channel LCI for three months.

In March 2023, it also suspended all broadcasts by the France 24 news channel a few months after also suspending Radio France Internationale (RFI). It accused both public media outlets of having relayed jihadist leaders’ messages.