Burkina Faso releases journalists and activists unlawfully conscripted

Unlawful conscription of media professionals and activists in Burkina Faso

In early July 2025, authorities in Burkina Faso released five journalists and a human rights activist who had been forcibly conscripted into the military after publicly criticizing the military junta. While their release marks a positive step, it also starkly highlights the continued plight of others still missing, some since 2024, with no trace of their whereabouts.

Forcible conscription tied to criticism of the junta

On March 24, 2024, in Ouagadougou—the nation’s capital—security forces arrested four journalists: Guezouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, Phil Roland Zongo, and Luc Pagbelguem. These arrests followed their public condemnation of restrictions imposed on press freedom by the ruling junta. The arrests were part of a broader crackdown on dissent, particularly targeting members of the Burkina Faso Journalists’ Association (AJB).

By April 2, a video surfaced on social media showing Guezouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, and Luc Pagbelguem in military uniforms, confirming their forced conscription. Phil Roland Zongo’s conscription was only disclosed upon his eventual release.

Disappearances and ongoing repression

On June 18, 2024, Kalifara Séré, a commentator for BF1 TV, vanished after a meeting with members of the High Council for Communication (CSC), Burkina Faso’s media regulatory body. The CSC had questioned him about his skepticism regarding state photographs depicting the president. In October 2024, authorities admitted that Kalifara Séré, along with journalists Serge Oulon and Adama Bayala, had been conscripted. Their current status remains unknown.

Similarly, on November 29, 2023, Lamine Ouattara, a member of the Burkinabè Movement for Human and Peoples’ Rights (MBDHP), was abducted from his home by plainclothes intelligence agents. His family later confirmed he had been forcibly conscripted.

Systemic abuse of emergency laws

Human rights organizations have documented how Burkina Faso’s junta has weaponized emergency legislation to silence critics, including journalists, human rights defenders, and even magistrates, through unlawful conscription. While conscription is permissible for national defense, it must adhere to legal procedures, including informing conscripts of their service duration and providing avenues for appeal.

Human rights advocates urge the Burkinabè government to immediately release all unlawfully detained individuals and cease using conscription as a tool to suppress media freedom and dissent.