On the 36th anniversary of student Dabo Boukary’s assassination under former President Blaise Compaoré, the General Union of Burkinabè Students (UGEB) condemned the military regime’s failure to restore security despite promises made by Captain Ibrahim Traoré following the coup.

Days after the statement, individuals claiming to be civilians—though dressed in plain clothes and armed—allegedly carried out aggressive and unlawful arrests targeting students, including the UGEB president, according to the union’s account.

Government accuses UGEB of ‘terrorism glorification’

The arrests were followed by allegations of ‘glorifying terrorism,’ leading to the UGEB’s suspension for an initial three months, renewable by the Ministry of Territorial Administration. During this period, the student association is barred from all activities.

The prosecutor’s office in Ouagadougou’s second district has since opened a judicial investigation, citing the ‘seriousness’ of the alleged offenses. Prosecutors argue that the actions may constitute crimes under Burkina Faso’s penal code, potentially amounting to an attempt to ‘demoralize defense and security forces.’

Public advocacy of terrorism, they emphasized, carries penalties of one to ten years imprisonment.