The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is calling for the immediate release of three journalists detained in Burkina Faso last month after a disturbing video surfaced showing them in military uniforms. Guézouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, and Luc Pagbelguem were captured in a two-minute video shared across Burkinabé social media, where they are seen dressed in military attire alongside armed soldiers. This incident has intensified fears about press freedom in the country.
CPJ’s Francophone Africa representative, Moussa Ngom, highlighted the growing concerns, pointing out that the video adds to the anxiety over the fate of seven journalists who have gone missing since June. Six of these are now believed to have been forcibly conscripted into the army. Sanogo and Ouoba, who serve as president and vice president of the L’Association des journalistes du Burkina (AJB), have been outspoken critics of the military junta’s control over the media. The video, reportedly made under duress, shows Pagbelguem Ouoba lamenting the distortion of “real information on the ground,” claiming that it’s impossible to report accurately on the security situation from Ouagadougou.
The detentions follow a disturbing pattern of kidnappings and forced conscriptions targeting journalists in Burkina Faso over the past year. Since June, several media figures, including Serge Atiana Oulon, Adama Bayala, and Kalifara Séré, have been forcibly conscripted into military service after disappearing. Another journalist, Alain Traoré, remains unaccounted for after his abduction in July, further fueling concerns about the junta’s use of coercion to suppress independent reporting.
This latest incident highlights the junta’s ongoing crackdown on press freedom, especially under the leadership of Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The government has invoked an emergency law granting broad powers to suppress dissent, including the forced conscription of journalists. In November 2023, authorities issued draft notices to journalists, activists, and opposition members, compelling them to participate in security operations under the “general mobilization” plan, which the junta argues is necessary to combat the ongoing Islamist insurgency.
CPJ and other human rights advocates argue that these actions represent a systematic effort to silence dissent and manipulate the narrative surrounding the country’s security. The organization is urging immediate action to secure the safe release of these journalists and restore an environment where the press can operate without fear of retaliation.
For more information, CPJ continues to monitor the situation and calls on international bodies to support the demand for the journalists’ release.
[Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ]
