Burkina Faso Encourages Citizens to Report on Each Other

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Facts

• The junta government of Burkina Faso, which took power in a 2022 coup, has called on citizens 'to report any suspicious individual, movement or object' as part of its almost decade-long battle against jihadists.^[1][2]
• The Security Ministry further warned citizens not to park their cars for too long near 'sensitive sites' prone to potential terror attacks. They were also asked not to take pictures of security force positions, sites, or routes; or to rent out cars or houses without adequate vetting of customers.^[3]
• Burkina Faso has been fighting insurgents alongside the neighboring Sahel countries of Niger and Mali, with the three West African nations agreeing to create a joint force to address the violence earlier this year.^[1][4]
• In their fight, rights groups and the UN have accused soldiers of Burkina Faso and Mali of kidnapping and abusing civilians suspected of aiding terrorists, though both governments have denied the accusations.^[3]
• All three countries announced their withdrawal from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January, with the chairman of the ECOWAS Defense Chiefs this week calling on them to return to the bloc.^[5]

Sources: ^[1]Reuters, ^[2]Business Insider, ^[3]Citizen Digital, ^[4]BBC News and ^[5]Punch Newspapers.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Human Rights Watch. Burkina Faso must restore civilian rule as soon as possible. Not only are human rights deteriorating rapidly in the Sahel, but the military government has not made its promised progress toward ending Islamist violence. Instead, Burkina Faso has let the Trojan horse of Russian influence seep into the region and further threaten human rights. A dictatorship will only hurt the country in the long run.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The Africa Report.com. The chaos in the Sahel region is thanks to US-backed coups, weapons shipments, and Western impotence regarding the insurgency. While it once cooperated with the West, Burkina Faso's failures in dealing with terrorism have led the country to turn to Russia to fill the security vacuum. While it's a sad reality, democracy won't be restored in Burkina Faso until its current government cleans up the mess created by US foreign policy.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Intercept. The chaos in the Sahel region is thanks to US-backed coups, weapons shipments, and Western impotence regarding the insurgency. While it once cooperated with the West, Burkina Faso's failures in dealing with terrorism have led the country to turn to Russia to fill the security vacuum. While it's a sad reality, democracy won't be restored in Burkina Faso until its current government cleans up the mess created by US foreign policy.