Burkina Faso’s UN Human Rights Office Forced to Close
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that there will no longer be independent international documentation of what is happening in the country, where “abuses are widespread”. This follows a June 30 announcement by the United Nations Human Rights Office that it would permanently close its operations in the country, after the government suspended its local mandate.
During a meeting with UN Resident Coordinator Maurice Azonnankpo in Ouagadougou, Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré accused international organizations of behaving like a “super police”, saying they had overstepped the country’s sovereignty.
The rights group said since the military seized power in 2022, the junta has severely restricted civic and political space. “Authorities have suspended media outlets, unions, and hundreds of civil society organizations, dismantled multiparty politics and subjected critics to threats, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, unlawful conscription, and torture,” the HRW statement said.
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Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have formally notified the United Nations of their decisions to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The withdrawals are set to take effect in one year.
The three military-led governments argue that the court has become politicised and selectively applied. Critics said that the move follows growing international scrutiny over alleged atrocities committed by their
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Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that silencing students will not resolve Burkina Faso’s worsening security and governance crisis. The warning follows the military junta’s suspension of the country’s largest student union – the latest in a series of government crackdowns on the freedoms of association and expression.
The General Union of Burkina Students (UGEB) is one of the nation’s oldest and
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Burkina Faso’s media regulator has suspended French broadcaster TV5Monde, accusing the outlet of “disinformation” and “apology for terrorism”. The suspension follows reporting on the insurgencies in Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali, including coverage of escalating insecurity and alleged rights violations by government security forces.
Human Rights Watch has said the ban is part of a
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The military government has intensified its crackdown on civil society. It has dissolved 118 organizations, many of which are engaged in human rights work. The authorities cited a July 2025 law on freedom of association but offered no justification beyond vague allusions to noncompliance.
The military government’s action reflects a broader pattern of repression that began after the military seized power in
Burkinabè soldiers (file photo).
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