In early July 2025, authorities in Burkina Faso granted freedom to five media professionals and a human rights defender who had been forcibly and illegally drafted into the military. These individuals were targeted after expressing opposition to the ruling military junta. While their return is a welcome development, it highlights the ongoing mystery surrounding other citizens who have been missing since 2024 with no information regarding their whereabouts.
The wave of repression in the capital, Ouagadougou, saw the arrest of Guezouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, and Phil Roland Zongo—all associated with the Association of Journalists of Burkina (AJB)—on March 24, 2024. Luc Pagbelguem, a journalist for the private station BF1, was also detained. These arrests followed their public criticism of the junta’s crackdown on free speech. By April 2, social media footage confirmed fears of their forced conscription, showing Sanogo, Ouoba, and Pagbelguem in military attire. The forced enlistment of Phil Roland Zongo was only officially acknowledged upon his eventual release.
Another case involves Kalifara Séré, a commentator for BF1 TV, who vanished on June 18, 2024, following a summons by the Conseil supérieur de la communication (CSC). The media regulator had questioned Séré regarding his public skepticism over the legitimacy of certain official photographs of the head of state. It was not until October 2024 that the government admitted he had been sent to the front lines, alongside fellow journalists Serge Oulon and Adama Bayala. To date, the locations of Oulon and Bayala remain unknown.
Civil society has also been targeted. On November 29, 2023, Lamine Ouattara, a member of the Mouvement burkinabè des droits de l’homme et des peuples (MBDHP), was taken from his home by plainclothes agents claiming to be from national intelligence. His family later confirmed that he, too, had been subjected to illegal military conscription.
Evidence suggests that the junta is weaponizing a broad emergency law to silence dissenters. This strategy has been used to target not only journalists and human rights activists but also members of the judiciary. Such measures appear designed to neutralize those who challenge the administration.
While nations possess the legal right to enlist adult citizens for national defense, such processes must adhere to legal standards. This includes clearly informing conscripts of their service duration and providing a legal framework to challenge the mandate.
The government of Burkina Faso is urged to immediately release all individuals currently held under these unlawful conditions and to stop using military service as a tool for political retaliation against the press and critics.
