The Burkina Faso Superior Council of Communication has decided to suspend the broadcast of programs and access to the websites of several foreign media outlets. This measure follows the dissemination of information accusing the Burkinabe army of reprehensible acts against civilian populations.
The French television channel TV5 Monde has been suspended for a period of two weeks in Burkina Faso, and its website along with six other news sites have been suspended until further notice. These suspensions come after the publication of a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) accusing the army of committing abuses against civilians, as announced by the Burkinabe communication authority.
Additionally, the media regulator in Burkina Faso has decided to suspend access to the websites of TV5 Monde, Deutsche Welle, Ouest-France, Le Monde.fr, Apanews, The Guardian, and AgenceEcofin from within Burkina Faso’s territory until further notice, according to the statement.
These measures come two days after the suspension of two foreign radios, BBC and Voice of America , for a duration of two weeks. The CSC justifies these new suspensions by the dissemination of HRW’s report content accusing the Burkinabe army of serious acts, accusations that have been firmly rejected by the Burkinabe government.
In a statement released on Saturday regarding HRW’s report, the spokesperson for the Burkinabe government, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, stated that « Burkina Faso rejects and strongly condemns such unfounded accusations. »