CADHP urges Burkina Faso to uphold human rights amid crises

The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (CADHP) is set to review Burkina Faso’s human rights record on October 23, 2024, presenting an opportunity to address critical concerns in the country, according to Human Rights Watch. The organisation urges the Burkinabè authorities to prioritise civilian protection in conflict zones, safeguard civic space for activists and journalists, and ensure accountability for grave abuses.

Under the African Union’s State Reporting Procedure, member states must submit regular reports detailing legislative and policy measures to enforce the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Burkina Faso’s latest report, submitted in May 2023 and covering 2015–2021, fails to adequately address pressing human rights issues, including widespread abuses by state security forces and Islamist armed groups, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, and pervasive impunity.

Key human rights concerns in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has faced a jihadist insurgency since 2016, led by the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM)—linked to Al-Qaeda—and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS). The conflict has triggered two military coups since 2022, exacerbating instability. The Burkinabè government claims to have implemented measures such as:

• A dedicated counter-terrorism unit to investigate and prosecute offenses;
• Military prévôts to enforce discipline and protect detainees’ rights;
• Human rights and international humanitarian law training for security forces;
• Accountability mechanisms for alleged abuses.

However, Human Rights Watch has documented persistent violations, including:

• Extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and mass executions of civilians accused of collaborating with armed groups;
• Sexual violence, abductions, and looting by Islamist militants, who continue to besiege towns and villages;
• Suppression of dissent, with activists, journalists, and opposition figures facing harassment, forced conscription, and enforced disappearances.

The CADHP has previously raised alarms over specific incidents, such as the Karma massacre (April 2023), where dozens of civilians were allegedly killed by security forces, and the Zaongo attack (November 2023), prompting calls for investigations. Yet, the government has made minimal progress in prosecuting perpetrators of these crimes.

Civil society under threat

Since the 2022 coup, the military junta has systematically targeted civil society, including:

• Human rights defenders, such as Daouda Diallo, who was abducted in December 2023;
• Journalists, with three media professionals forcibly disappeared in July 2024;
• Opposition members, subjected to arbitrary arrests and forced conscription as a punitive measure.

The CADHP has condemned these actions but has not conducted an official visit to Burkina Faso in years. Human Rights Watch urges the commission to:

• Demand transparency from the Burkinabè government regarding investigations into abuses;
• Recommend concrete steps to protect activists, journalists, and political opponents from reprisals;
• Consider an official mission to assess the human rights situation firsthand.

« The CADHP’s review offers a pivotal moment to hold Burkina Faso accountable for its human rights obligations, » said Allan Ngari, Africa advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. « It must push for justice for victims of state and non-state abuses while ensuring civic freedoms are restored. »

The commission’s recommendations could shape the future of human rights protections in a country grappling with conflict, authoritarianism, and humanitarian crises.