Burkina Faso Suspends VOA, BBC/Africa Broadcasts

Présidence du Faso/Page Facebook
Capitain Ibrahim Traoré, President of the Transitional Government
26 April 2024
Voice of America (Washington, DC)

Burkina Faso has temporarily suspended the programs of Voice of America and BBC/Africa following the broadcast of news stories about a Human Rights Watch report accusing the Burkinabè army of abuses against civilian populations.

The Superior Council of Communication Thursday ordered the immediate halt of the rebroadcasts and suspension of the programs of both international radio stations for two weeks. Access to the websites and digital platforms of BBC, VOA, and Human Rights Watch was also suspended within Burkina Faso.

In its broadcast of the story on the Human Rights Watch report, VOA sought reactions from several Burkinabè officials but did not receive any response.

VOA stands by its reporting about Burkina Faso and intends to continue to fully and fairly cover activities in the country.

Military-ruled Burkina Faso has in recent months suspended other Western news outlets, including the French television broadcasters LCI and France24; French radio broadcaster Radio France Internationale, the French daily newspaper Le Monde and the French magazine Jeune Afrique.

Burkina Faso is one of several West African nations in the Sahel region, including Mali and Niger, that have been combatting Islamist insurgencies. The military seized power in a 2022 coup, citing the government's failure to put down a jihadist insurgency that erupted in 2015.

Some information in this report came from Agence France-Presse, Reuters and The Associated Press.

Read the original article on VOA.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2024 Voice of America. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.