In early July 2025, authorities in Burkina Faso released five journalists and a human rights activist who had been forcibly and unlawfully conscripted into the military after voicing criticism of the ruling junta. While this development is welcome, it serves as a stark reminder that other individuals remain missing, with no information on their whereabouts since as far back as 2024.
The ordeal for several of the journalists began on March 24, 2024, in the capital, Ouagadougou. Authorities arrested Guezouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, and Phil Roland Zongo, all members of the Association of Journalists of Burkina (AJB), along with Luc Pagbelguem, a journalist for the private television station BF1. Their arrests followed their condemnation of the junta’s restrictions on freedom of expression. On April 2, concerns about their fate intensified when a video appeared on social media showing Guezouma Sanogo, Boukari Ouoba, and Luc Pagbelguem in military uniforms. The forced conscription of Phil Roland Zongo was not publicly known until he was freed.
Another case involved Kalifara Séré, a commentator for BF1 TV, who was reported missing on June 18, 2024. His disappearance occurred after he was questioned by members of the Superior Council of Communication (CSC), the country’s media regulatory body, regarding comments he made questioning the authenticity of official photographs of the head of state. It wasn’t until October 2024 that the government acknowledged his enlistment into the army, along with two other journalists, Serge Oulon and Adama Bayala. The location of Serge Oulon and Adama Bayala remains unknown.
The activist, Lamine Ouattara, a member of the Burkinabè Movement for Human and Peoples’ Rights (MBDHP), was abducted from his home on November 29, 2023. The men who took him, dressed in civilian clothes, identified themselves as national intelligence agents. Relatives of Lamine Ouattara later confirmed that he too had been illegally conscripted.
Human Rights Watch has previously reported on the junta’s use of a broad emergency law to forcibly enlist critics. This tactic has been employed to silence not only journalists and human rights activists but also magistrates.
While nations possess the authority to draft adult civilians for national defense, such conscription must be conducted in a manner that informs draftees about the length of their service and offers them a chance to challenge their enlistment. The authorities in Burkina Faso should immediately release all individuals who are still being held illegally and cease using conscription as a tool to repress the media and silence dissent.