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The United Nations has urged Burkina Faso’s military authorities to end what it described as a tightening repression of civic space and to reverse plans to prohibit all political parties in the country.
The junta, which seized power in 2022, announced last week that it intends to dissolve all political parties. Their activities have remained suspended since the military takeover.
“Instead of banning political parties and jailing people for expressing their opinions, the authorities in Burkina Faso need to open up space for civil society, including humanitarian actors,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement on Thursday.
He added that the authorities must “respect the exercise of freedom of association and expression, and lift bans on the activities of political parties, in accordance with their international obligations and commitments”.
The UN human rights office noted that the Burkinabe authorities suspended the activities of several national and international organisations last year, often without clear justification or on vague grounds, such as alleged unauthorised data collection.
In July, the government enacted a restrictive new law on freedom of association. This was followed in November by a decree requiring non-governmental organisations and associations to open and maintain cash accounts exclusively with a state-run bank.
According to the UN rights office, the cumulative impact of these measures has “sharply constricted civil society’s activity in the country”.
Although several people who had been arbitrarily detained were released last year, the office said it continues to receive reports of “enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests”. Those reportedly affected include journalists, members of the judiciary, political party figures and civil society leaders.
Türk recalled that Burkina Faso committed to a December roadmap agreement with the UN to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
