Burkina Faso: French media banned from reporting on increasing levels of violence

As reported by Africa News on 28 June 2023, at least 31 government troops and 3 army auxiliaries were killed when ambushed by jihadist fighters on 26 June. They were escorting a supply convoy on its return from Djibo, a town besieged for months by jihadist groups in the Sahel region. Two further attacks took place on the same day: Unofficial sources stated that one attack targeted the village of Noaka in the Centre-Nord region, in which “around thirty” auxiliaries were reportedly killed and several wounded; the other took place in Gayeri, in the eastern Komondjari province, killing four auxiliaries. The military junta under Captain Ibrahim Traore has continued to restrict media reporting on armed group activities: Radio France Internationale, France24 and La Chaine Info have been suspended, while two French journalists were expelled from the country in April (Al-Jazeera, 30 June 2023).

World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: “The presence of violent Islamic militants in Burkina Faso, such as the groups Ansarul Islam and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has led to a significant increase in violence and insecurity. The military government appears to be fearing losing face as the jihadist threat grows and army casualties are high. It's strict control over reporting and the manner in which information can be shared has created an environment of limited transparency, making it difficult to grasp the true extent of the difficulties facing the civilian population, many of whom are Christian.”