Burkina Faso Junta Secretly Detained Journalist and Others, Advocacy Group Says
Reporters Without Borders says up to 40 people were held in a guarded house and abused as the junta tightened its crackdown on dissent.
- On Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders reported that Burkina Faso authorities secretly detained investigative journalist Atiana Serge Oulon and dozens of others in a makeshift facility in the capital.
- Since the 2022 coup, the military junta led by Capt. Ibrahim Traor has intensified its crackdown on political dissent, forcibly conscripting critics and silencing independent media outlets.
- While the government claims Oulon was conscripted into military service, former detainees reported he and up to 40 others were held in a heavily guarded house in Ouagadougou as of late 2025.
- Detainees described sleeping on bare floors, drinking toilet water, and facing beatings by guards, prompting RSF journalists Camille Montagu and Mzalouat to demand Oulon's immediate release.
- The government recently banned the French channel TV5 Monde for alleged "disinformation" over jihadist coverage and ordered the dissolution of around 200 associations, extending its information suppression.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Burkina Faso junta secretly held and abused journalist Atiana Serge Oulon: RSF
Burkina Faso's authorities secretly held and abused a prominent investigative journalist and dozens of others in a makeshift detention facility in the capital, an international advocacy group said Wednesday, in the latest crackdown on political dissent in the West African nation.
Associated Press News
Burkina Faso junta secretly detained journalist and others, advocacy group says
Reporters Without Borders says Burkina Faso's authorities secretly detained and abused a prominent journalist and dozens of others in a makeshift facility.
In Burkina Faso, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is making revelations about the fate of Burkina Faso journalist Atiana Serge Oulon. The editor of the event has not given a sign of life for nearly two years, since his abduction on 24 June 2024 at his home. The authorities of the country said that he was requisitioned and sent to the front with the armed forces, but this version is contradicted by RSF's investigations according to which Atiana Se…
Burkina Faso junta accused of secretly detaining journalist and dozens of others, RSF report finds
By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent The military junta in Burkina Faso has used forced military conscription as a “smokescreen” to cover the secret detention and abuse of dissidents, according to a new report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The advocacy group reveals that high-profile figures, including investigative journalist Atiana Serge Oulon, are not being sent to the front lines as officially claimed. Instead, RSF fin…
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