Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has denounced the Burkina Faso ruling military junta for its “unacceptable silence” on the disappearance of journalist Serge Oulon, who went missing more than a year ago.
The press freedom organisation has formally raised concerns in a letter addressed to the Burkinabe ambassador to Senegal, Saidou Maiga, urging authorities to provide information on Oulon’s fate.
Despite repeated calls for transparency, the Burkinabe government has yet to offer any official response, RSF stated.
Oulon, editor of the investigative bimonthly L’Evenement, vanished on June 24, 2024, after being reportedly abducted from his home by around ten armed men who identified themselves as members of the National Intelligence Agency.
Later reports indicated that Oulon was forcibly conscripted into the army in October, a move accepted by Burkinabe officials.
The media watchdog urged Ambassador Maiga to clarify the circumstances surrounding Oulon’s disappearance as well as those of other journalists who have gone missing or been compelled into military service.
In a May press briefing in Dakar, Maiga indicated the embassy’s willingness to engage with journalists’ queries. Oulon’s investigation into alleged embezzlement by a senior military officer is thought to have drawn unwanted attention.
His publication questioned the junta’s silence, demanding a public explanation or trial if accusations exist, affirming the right of Oulon’s family and the press to know the truth.
RSF also reported that three other journalists and columnists disappeared forcibly in June and July 2024, while three others were conscripted since March, describing the situation as unprecedented in Africa.
Since Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s 2022 coup, Burkina Faso has shut down several media outlets, particularly foreign ones, stating that they are obstructing military efforts to combat insurgents. Last year, Human Rights Watch similarly criticised the conscription of magistrates in the country.
