Burkina Faso Expels French Journalists

Two French Journalists who work for newspapers have been expelled from Burkina Faso by the nation’s military government.

Sophie Douce and Agnès Faivre, journalists with Le Monde and Libération respectively, landed in Paris on Sunday after being given 24 hours to leave the former French colony by the military government. The expulsion was given after the publication of a Libération investigation of a video that shoed the execution of children in military barracks as the authorities said that it could be described as manipulation disguised as journalism. Both journalists were separately questioned by the authorities on Friday, then, were later notified of their expulsion from the country.

The two newspapers have shown their displeasure at this act, and condemned the expulsions, saying that it is a major setback for freedom of the press in Burkina Faso. The Director of Le Monde, Jérôme Fenoglio, said that Sophie Douce’s reporting “obviously ended up seeming unbearable to the regime of Ibrahim Traoré, transition president for six months,” while a statement on Libération’s website said, “We strongly protest against these absolutely unjustified expulsions…… These restrictions on freedom of information are unacceptable and the sign of a power that refuses to allow its actions to be questioned.” 

The military government in Burkina Faso, who seized power in a coup that was staged on September 2022, had also recently suspended the broadcast of two state-owned media outlets, Radio France International (RFI) and France 24. RFI was suspended in December, after the authorities accused them of broadcasting false reports. This accusation, however, was denied by the RFI. Months later, in March, the authorities then suspended France 24, accusing it of being a “Communications agency” of militants after they broadcasted an interview with the head of al-Qaeda’s North Africa wing, Yezid Mebarek, who is also known as Abu Ubaydah Yusuf al-Anabi. On the 27th of March, the government said that it “strongly condemns these manipulations disguised as journalism to tarnish the image of a country of honest men”.

There was no statement from Burkina Faso regarding the expulsion of the journalists. Both the French government and the Burkina Faso regime did not reply immediately to requests for comments.

Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi

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