Burkina Faso’s crackdown on civil society raises serious concerns
Reacting to Burkina Faso’s decision to dissolve 118 NGOs and associations, Ousmane Diallo, Senior Researcher for the Sahel at Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Regional Office, issued a stark warning:
« The arbitrary dissolution of civil society organizations blatantly violates Burkina Faso’s constitutional guarantees of freedom of association and assembly. Despite amendments to the constitution, this fundamental right has never been questioned.
« This move also contradicts Burkina Faso’s international obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which the country has ratified.
This wave of dissolutions represents a deliberate effort to silence civil society through systematic repression.
Ousmane Diallo, Senior Researcher for the Sahel at Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Regional Office
Civil society organizations are vital for upholding human rights and the rule of law. Authorities must reverse this decision immediately and ensure these groups can operate without fear of retaliation.
Burkina Faso’s crackdown extends beyond NGO dissolutions, employing abusive legislation, intimidation, arbitrary detention, and harassment of human rights defenders and activists to shrink civic space.
To restore trust, authorities must cease restrictions on civil society, halt human rights violations, and honor the country’s international commitments.
context behind the dissolutions
On April 15, 2026, Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization announced the dissolution of 118 NGOs and associations, citing legal compliance as justification while offering no further explanation.
This follows the January 29, 2026, dissolution of all political parties after a three-year suspension.
In November 2025, a presidential decree mandated all national and international NGOs to transfer their accounts from commercial banks to a newly established state-controlled bank under the Public Treasury. This move risks arbitrary fund freezes, financial surveillance, and targeted sanctions.
Burkina Faso has been under military rule since two coups in January and September 2022. The military transition, originally set to conclude on July 2, 2024, was extended by five years in May 2024.