BURKINA FASO BANS MORE FOREIGN MEDIA OVER HUMAN

RIGHTS WATCH MASSACRE REPORT

Burkina Faso has suspended yet more foreign media outlets over their coverage of a report
accusing its army of killing 223 civilians.
The report, by US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), said it believed the the massacre in
February was in retaliation for villagers aiding armed Islamists.
The West African nation's military government has denied the allegation.
They have already suspended the BBC and US broadcaster Voice of America for reporting on the
HRW's publication.
The UK and US governments said in a joint statement that they strongly opposed the suspension of
media outlets in the country, and urged authorities to reconsider their decision.
"Free and independent media must be permitted to conduct investigations and good-faith reporting
without fear of reprisals," it read.
Burkina Faso is ruled by a military junta, which seized power in a coup in 2022, promising to end
the Islamist insurgency.
The violence has however continued to escalate, with more than a third of Burkina Faso controlled
by jihadist groups.
On Sunday, Burkina Faso's communications regulator said broadcasts from French network
TV5Monde would also be suspended for two weeks and access to its website blocked, state-owned
media reported.
The websites of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), French newspapers Le Monde and
Ouest-France, British newspaper the Guardian, and African agencies APA and Ecofin have also
been barred until further notice.
In its report, the non-governmental organisation said that Burkina Faso's military had killed 179
people in Soro and 44 others in the nearby Nondin, villages in the country's north.
The alleged killings were the country's "worst army abuse" in nearly a decade, HRW said.
In a statement published on Saturday, Burkina Faso's Communications Minister Rimtalba Jean
Emmanuel Ouedraogo said: "The government of Burkina Faso strongly rejects and condemns such
baseless accusations."
The minister also expressed his surprise that "while this inquiry is under way to establish the facts
and identify the authors, HRW has been able, with boundless imagination, to identify 'the guilty'
and pronounce its verdict".
On Monday, DW urged Burkina Faso's authorities to unblock their website "as quickly as
possible".
"The blocking of dw.com and other media in Burkina Faso means the people there are being
deprived of the important right to independent information," Nadja Scholz, DW's Managing
Director of Programming, said.
"Our coverage in and about Burkina Faso continually provides facts and balanced perspectives."
DW also suggested ways in which its Burkina Faso audience could access its website, for example
through the use of virtual private networks (VPNs).
International and human rights groups, including the European Union and UN, have accused
Burkina Faso of serious human rights violations in its fight against Islamists, including the
indiscriminate killings and forced disappearances of dozens of civilians.
Supporters of the military junta have previously criticised the media for reporting alleged atrocities,
saying that the reporting is designed to hit the morale of the Burkina Faso armed forces.
In a statement on Thursday, Burkina Faso's media regulator warned all media outlets against
covering the report, threatening sanctions, state-owned media reported.
Commenting on the authorities' ban on its content, a BBC spokesperson said: "The suspension
reduces the BBC's ability to reach audiences with independent and accurate news. We will
continue to report on the region in the public interest and without fear or favour."
In an article on Friday, Voice of America (VOA) said it "stands by its reporting about Burkina
Faso and intends to continue to fully and fairly cover activities in the country".
(https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-68920225)
SUMMARY
Burkina Faso's military government has suspended the BBC and US broadcaster Voice of
America for reporting on a report by US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), which claimed
that the massacre in February was in retaliation for villagers aiding armed Islamists. The UK
and US governments have strongly opposed the suspension of media outlets in the country
and urged authorities to reconsider their decision. Burkina Faso is ruled by a military junta
that seized power in a coup in 2022, promising to end the Islamist insurgency. The violence
has continued to escalate, with over a third of the country controlled by jihadist groups.
Burkina Faso's communications regulator has also suspended French network TV5Monde and
blocked access to its website. International and human rights groups have accused Burkina
Faso of serious human rights violations in its fight against Islamists.