The French newspapers Le Monde and Liberation reported on Sunday that two French journalists were expelled from Burkina Faso. This is owing to the country’s tightening restrictions on foreign media.
Agnes Faivre of Liberation and Sophie Douce of Le Monde were both ejected from the nation on Friday. They were notified of their departure the day before. They both returned to Paris on Sunday morning.
Liberation said on its website that the two are “journalists of impeccable integrity who worked legally in Burkina Faso. They had proper visas and credentials. We protest vehemently against these absolutely indefensible expulsions.”
The government of Burkina Faso has not yet issued a statement. They have not responded to a request for comment on the expulsions.
The government stated on March 27 disputing Liberation’s claims that the Burkinabe military was responsible for civilian killings.
A request for comment submitted to the French foreign ministry did not get an instant reply.
After the September military coup in Burkina Faso, ties between Paris and Ouagadougou have dramatically deteriorated. Thereafter, the junta asked that France remove its troops and ordered France 24 and RFI to cease broadcasting.
Burkina Faso is battling Islamist terrorist groups.
The director of Le Monde, Jérôme Fenoglio, said in a statement. “These two expulsions represent a significant setback in our capacity to comment on the situation in Burkina Faso.”
According to Douce, the administration of six-month transitional president Ibrahim Traoré deemed his revelations “intolerable.”
According to Liberation, authorities were dissatisfied with the newspaper’s investigation into the suspected murder of children and adolescents at a military barracks.
It contended that the restrictions on freedom of information indicated that the government would not allow its actions to be questioned.
The government of Burkina Faso had previously said that they disapproved of the article and that the tabloid was attempting to harm the military’s image.
The government “strongly condemns these manipulations masquerading as journalism” because they “tarnish the image of a country of honest individuals,” according to a statement released on March 27.
Burkina Faso is one of several West African countries and former French colonies battling against Islamist terrorist groups. It began in neighboring Mali and have expanded across the region over the last decade.
Thousands of fatalities and over 2 million displacements have occurred in the Sahel region south of the Sahara despite the presence of international troops, mainly French soldiers.
Since 2020, anti-French sentiment has increased in Burkina Faso and Mali due to residents’ rising discontent with their government’s failure to restore security.
