Your go-to English source for news from Ouagadougou and Burkina Faso, updated daily.
Click to expand Image At the start of July 2025, authorities in Burkina Faso released five journalists and one human rights defender who had been illegally drafted into the military. These individuals were targeted and forcibly conscripted after voicing opposition to the ruling military junta. While their return is a positive step, it serves as […]
Niger’s silent struggle: empowering communities against sickle cell disease Imagine the profound impact a straightforward pre-marital blood test could have on an individual’s life trajectory. Upon assuming leadership at the National Reference Center for Sickle Cell Disease (CNRD), physician-colonel Mariam Boureima Djibo, the center’s director, was deeply affected by a particular story: a parent, facing […]
URGENT APPEAL – THE OBSERVATORY BFA 002 / 0525 / OBS 022Enforced disappearanceBurkina FasoMay 2, 2025 The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), urges intervention regarding the following situation in Burkina Faso. Situation overview: The Observatory […]
Human rights advocates are urging Niger’s military authorities to immediately release former President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held without legal justification for over two years since his ousting in a coup. On July 26, 2023, officers from Niger’s self-proclaimed National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), led by General Abdourahamane Tiani, forcibly […]
Investigations reveal that Malian armed forces, alongside the Russian-linked Wagner Group, have carried out extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances targeting Fulani men since the beginning of 2025. These alleged crimes, occurring in multiple regions, have raised serious concerns about human rights violations and the protection of civilians in Mali. Alleged atrocities in Mali’s counter-insurgency operations […]
advocating for sickle cell patients in Burkina Faso: dr. gloria damoaliga berges’ fight Ouagadougou – in Burkina Faso, sickle cell disease affects an estimated 4.63% of the population, with nearly 2% of newborns diagnosed with the severe ss form. these figures highlight a pressing public health challenge that demands a collaborative, multi-sector response involving all […]
As insecurity and forced displacement persist across central and northern Mali, women and girls face increasingly severe risks of gender-based violence, a United Nations agency has warned. A recent investigation conducted in May by the UNFPA, the United Nations agency dedicated to sexual and reproductive health, reveals a significant increase in sexual violence incidents within […]