Burkina Faso Junta Bans BBC, VOA From Broadcasting

VOA said on Friday it had sought reactions to the HRW report“from several Burkinabe officials” but received no response and intended “to continue to cover activities in the country fully and fairly.” The Communications Authority of Burkina Faso has instructed internet service providers to block access to the websites and digital platforms of the BBC, VOA, and HRW within the country.

The communications authority (CSC) announced in a statement late Thursday that“the programmes of these two international radio networks broadcasting from Ouagadougou have been suspended for a period of two weeks.” It further explained that the decision to suspend BBC Africa and VOA was made due to the broadcasting and publication of a report on their digital platforms accusing the Burkina army of abuses against the civilian population.

However, Sadibou Marong, a representative from media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has strongly criticized the suspensions of VOA and BBC, deeming them as “abusive” and a clear violation of the right to information.

According to Marong, the media outlets had merely disseminated“information of general interest for the Burkinabe population.” Naija Newsreports that theBBCand Voice of America are among the recent international media outlets affected by the actions taken since Captain Ibrahim Traore assumed control of the West African nation in a coup in September 2022..

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