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Burkina Faso has suspended the BBC and Voice of America radio networks from broadcasting for having aired a rights report accusing the army of attacks on civilians in its battle against jihadists.
The communications authority (CSC) made this announcement on Friday.
The authority stated that “The programmes of these two international radio networks broadcasting from Ouagadougou have been suspended for a period of two weeks.”
It said that the decision had been taken because BBC Africa and the VOA had aired and also published a report on their digital platforms “accusing the Burkina army of abuses against the civilian population”.
The CSC said the report contained “hasty and biased declarations without tangible proof against the Burkinabe army”.
The country has been battling attacks from groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State since a jihadist insurgency swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015.
Since then, around 20,000 people have been killed in Burkina Faso and around two million have been displaced.
VOA said on Friday it had sought reactions to the HRW report “from several Burkinabe officials” but received no response and intended “to continue to fully and fairly cover activities in the country”.
The CSC said it had “directed” internet service providers to suspend access to the sites and other digital platforms of the BBC, VOA and HRW from Burkinabe territory.
It also said the “approach” of the BBC and VOA “undermines the cardinal principles of information processing in that it constitutes disinformation likely to bring discredit to the Burkinabe army”.
