In mid-April, an imam from Bobo Dioulasso, Mahmoud Barro, was detained under similar circumstances. Earlier, on March 31, a cyber-activist known for supporting the government, Mahamadi Baguian, died following his arrest by Ouagadougou police.

In all three instances—including the recent detention of Imam Mohamed Kindo around 2 p.m. on Tuesday—a controversial government bill lies at the heart of the controversy. The proposed legislation seeks to regulate religious freedoms, explicitly banning worship activities in public institutions such as government offices, hospitals, and military barracks.

Introduced to the Council of Ministers on March 19, the bill ignited fierce debates, particularly among Sunni Muslims, with influential Imam Kindo emerging as a vocal critic. His arrest, which occurred just before Eid al-Adha, triggered protests involving hundreds of worshippers in the capital’s streets. Clashes with security forces erupted, marked by tear gas deployments and heavy-handed crowd dispersals in downtown areas.