Burkina Faso Expels French Journalists as Split Between the Two Nations Widens
Soldiers of the Burkinabè army marching (Wikimedia Commons)
On April 2, two French journalists were ordered to leave Burkina Faso after publishing an investigation into the execution of children at a military barracks. The expulsion is the latest in a string of attacks by the military-led government against French media, coming on the heels of France 24 and Radio France Internationale being outlawed by the junta's leader, capt. Ibrahim Traoré.
Journalist Agnès Faivre, who writes for the French paper Liberation, had recently investigated videos of children and adolescents being killed by men believed to be part of the Burkinabe army. Her investigation was derided as "manipulations disguised as journalism to tarnish the image of the country" by government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo.
No reason was given for Le Monde journalist Sophie Douce's expulsion, although she had spent considerable time documenting the deteriorating security situation in the country.
The fight against jihadists in the Sahel nation has provided a pretext for the moves against French media. France 24 was shuttered in the country after it aired an interview with the head of Al-Qaeda in North Africa as the government claimed it was "part of a process of legitimizing the terrorist message." Radio France Internationale was also accused of airing a "message of intimidation" from a "terrorist chief."
Traoré's government has taken an increasingly hostile approach to relations with France. Since coming to power in a September 2022 coup, the young artillery officer has ousted the 400 French special forces in the country and may be seeking to replace them with Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group. He also told all French military and administrative personnel assisting Burkina Faso’s army and government to leave the country, ending a military accord deal that dates back to shortly after the country's independence in 1960.
Rising anti-French sentiments coincide with an increase in support for Russia. Demonstrations against France in the capital city of Ouagadougou frequently feature protestors waving Russian flags. While Burkina Faso’s government denies that it plans to hire Wagner mercenaries, it has requested Russian “instructors,” a term often used to refer to Wagner mercenaries, to train soldiers on new weapons systems it is buying from Russia.
The attacks on the press and potential help from Russia point towards Burkina Faso remaining an authoritarian state. Although Traoré has promised elections in 2024, the continuing instability in the country makes a return to democracy, at least in the short term, seem unlikely.