Burkina Faso Blocks Additional Foreign News Outlets

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • Burkina Faso's Superior Communications Council has blocked access to the websites for Agence de Presse Africaine, Deutsche Welle, Ecofin, Le Monde, Ouest-France, The Guardian, and TV5 Monde until further notice, with local retransmission of TV5 Monde's programs banned for two weeks.1
  • Burkinabe authorities have previously 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.2
  • 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.3
  • According to 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.4
  • On Saturday, Burkina Faso stated that a judicial probe has been opened into these allegations. Over 8K people were killed in the country last year, as its decade-long fight with groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State has escalated since 2020.5
  • 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 France24.6

Sources: 1RSF, 2Voice of America, 3Africanews, 4Al Jazeera, 5Reuters and 6BBC News.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Committee to Protect Journalists. 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.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Sputnik Africa. 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.

Predictions