Burkina Faso: repression of press freedom continues with suspension of VOA and ban on rebroadcasting foreign radio programmes
The Superior Council for Communication (CSC), Burkina Faso’s national communications regulator, has banned the rebroadcasting of foreign radio programmes until further notice and suspended the broadcasting of the US public media outlet Voice of America (VOA) for three months. These decisions are yet another example of the junta’s desire to use every possible means to suppress any information that deviates from its narrative.
Burkina Faso’s government continues to hone its nationalistic treatment of news and information. In a press release published on 7 October, the CSC banned the synchronisation between national and foreign media “until further notice,” meaning Burkinabe radio stations cannot broadcast live or recorded programmes produced by a foreign media outlet.
The CSC's decision follows the broadcast of the programme “Washington Forum,” produced by VOA, on the private radio station Ouaga FM on 19 September. The CSC’s press release also announced the suspension of VOA for a period of three months.
“Beyond the VOA’s suspension, which has become a sad norm for foreign media in Burkina Faso, the ban on synchronising national and foreign media is worrying. It will further deprive the population of access to diverse information. The authorities in Burkina Faso are using every possible means to make any information that goes beyond the imposed narrative invisible. We call on the authorities to reverse this decision.”
Rebroadcasting international programmes has become rare in recent years due to the suspension of foreign media. The few remaining collaborations provided a way to “access information that the local media are not necessarily in a position to communicate,” according to a Burkinabe journalist who prefers to remain anonymous.
VOA had already been suspended for two weeks in April 2024 after relaying a Human Rights Watch report exposing abuses committed by Burkina Faso's armed forces. .
