Burkina Faso: Broadcasting ban on BBC and Voice of America

Authorities in Burkina Faso, West Africa, have banned BBC and Voice of America radio stations from broadcasting for two weeks. The reason is alleged disinformation about an act of violence by the army.

It is a Report by Human Rights Watch, which appears to have seriously angered the authorities in Burkina Faso. So severe that they are now cracking down on the media.

The human rights activists had accused the army of massacring the civilian population. The government in Burkina Faso has so far remained silent on the matter, but now the state’s communications authority has reacted – with a two-week broadcast ban on the British BBC and the US Voice of America.

Both had taken up the Human Rights Watch report and reported on it. According to the Burkinabe authorities, that is exactly the reason for the ban: the reports represent “disinformation that is capable of discrediting the Burkinabe army,” the justification states verbatim.

Two villages affected

According to Human Rights Watch, the Burkina Faso army killed 223 people, including more than 50 children, in two villages at the end of February. During the persecution of Islamists, the military asked the residents of the villages to leave their homes. They accused the civilians of supporting the Islamists and then fired into the crowd. Survivors were subsequently executed.

The information about the atrocities cannot be independently verified. The human rights organization cites more than 20 interviews with eyewitnesses and survivors as evidence of its allegations. Photos and video recordings were also evaluated and mass graves were discovered on satellite images.

Burkina Faso was long considered safe

Burkina Faso was once considered comparatively safe. But for almost ten years, a fierce battle has been raging between the army and al-Qaeda and terrorist militias close to the “Islamic State”, especially in the north of the state.

Burkina Faso faces a similar problem to its neighbors Mali and Niger. All three states are ruled by military governments that came to power through a coup. All three also rely on military cooperation with Russia.