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 a sobering reminder of the many others who have been missing since 2024, with no information regarding their current status or location.
Targeting the media and civil society
The wave of arrests began in the capital, Ouagadougou, on March 24, 2024. Authorities detained Guezouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, and Phil Roland Zongo—all associated with the Association des journalistes du Burkina (AJB)—alongside Luc Pagbelguem, a reporter for the private station BF1. They were apprehended for challenging the junta’s restrictions on press freedom. By April 2, social media footage showed Guezouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, and Luc Pagbelguem in military attire, confirming fears of their forced enlistment. Phil Roland Zongo‘s conscription was only officially acknowledged upon his recent release.
Further disappearances followed in mid-2024. Kalifara Séré, a commentator for BF1 TV, vanished on June 18 after a meeting with the Conseil supérieur de la communication (CSC). The media regulator had questioned him regarding his skepticism over the authenticity of official presidential photographs. In October 2024, the government finally admitted that Kalifara Séré had been sent to the front lines, along with fellow journalists Serge Oulon and Adama Bayala. The whereabouts of Serge Oulon and Adama Bayala remain unknown.
Abduction of human rights activists
The crackdown extended beyond the press. On November 29, 2023, plainclothes individuals claiming to be national intelligence agents abducted Lamine Ouattara from his home. Lamine Ouattara, a member of the Mouvement burkinabè des droits de l’homme et des peuples (MBDHP), was later confirmed by relatives to have been victims of the same illegal conscription tactics.
Investigations have revealed that the junta is weaponizing a broad emergency law to silence its critics. This strategy has been used to forcibly recruit journalists, human rights advocates, and even members of the judiciary who dare to dissent.
The misuse of national defense laws
While sovereign states have the legal right to conscript adult citizens for national defense, such processes must be transparent. Potential conscripts should be informed of their service duration and granted the legal right to challenge their induction. Using military service as a punitive measure against free speech is a violation of these principles.
The Burkina Faso government must immediately secure the release of all individuals still being held unlawfully and end the practice of using military conscription as a tool to suppress independent media and political critics.