Burkina Faso's military junta secretly detained and mistreated a prominent investigative journalist and dozens of other individuals in a makeshift detention facility in the capital, according to an international advocacy group. The allegations mark the latest crackdown on political dissent in the West African nation.
Journalist's Disappearance
Reporters Without Borders reported on Wednesday that Atiana Serge Oulon, editor of the newspaper L’Evenement, was forcibly taken from his home in June 2024 by armed men in civilian clothing. The junta initially claimed he had been conscripted into military service. However, former detainees revealed that Oulon and up to 40 others were held in a heavily guarded house in Ouagadougou as of late 2025, contradicting the government's narrative.
Conditions of Detention
The advocacy group described dire conditions: detainees slept on bare floors, were forced to drink toilet water, and suffered beatings from guards using ropes and tree branches. Oulon's current whereabouts remain unknown. Reporters Without Borders stated it shared its findings with Burkina Faso's government, which did not respond.
Targeting of Journalists
Oulon had been in the junta's crosshairs since 2022, when he published an investigation accusing an army captain of embezzlement. The group called for his immediate release and noted that the junta's inner circle appears directly involved, with a security officer for junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traoré personally briefing detainees before release and warning them not to speak out.
Broader Crackdown
Since seizing power in a 2022 coup, Burkina Faso's junta has intensified repression against political dissent and journalists, shutting down independent media outlets and forcibly conscripting dissidents into the army to fight Islamic militants. Human Rights Watch reported in April that under Traoré, the junta has fostered an atmosphere of terror and severely restricted information flow.
