Your go-to English source for news from Ouagadougou and Burkina Faso, updated daily.
Click to expand Image In a significant blow to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, Burkina Faso‘s transitional legislative assembly passed a law on September 1st that criminalizes consensual same-sex relationships. Under this new legislation, individuals convicted of homosexuality face penalties including up to five years in prison and financial fines. […]
Niger: crackdown on justice sector unions raises human rights concerns Niger Human rights defenders Tingey Injury Law Firm / Unsplash The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a collaborative initiative of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), strongly condemns the recent dissolution of five justice […]
The military junta in Burkina Faso recently declared the United Nations’ top representative in the country, Carol Flore-Smereczniak, persona non grata, following the release of a critical UN report on grave violations against children in the nation. Click to expand Image This expulsion marks the second instance of a high-ranking UN official being declared unwelcome […]
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 […]
The Sahel has vanished from global headlines. While the world’s attention has been diverted by conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the long-standing crises in the Sahel have grown increasingly dire. More than a decade of instability shows no signs of abating—instead, it is deepening with each passing year. Military regimes […]
Hôpital Au Mali, l’accès aux soins reste un défi Au nord du Mali, l’accès aux soins de base – particulièrement pour les femmes et les enfants – reste une préoccupation majeure. Par Barou Dembélé Mis à jour le 25/06/2025 Partager L’accès aux soins de santé reste critique pour les Maliennes. La crise sécuritaire survenue à partir […]