December 3, 2023
2 mins read

Burkina Faso rights defender abducted

Earlier this year, Burkina Faso’s junta announced the “general mobilization” decree to recapture territories lost as jihadi attacks continue to ravage the landlocked country…reports Asian Lite News

A prominent human rights defender in Burkina Faso has been abducted by unknown individuals, rights groups have announced, in what activists say could be the latest attempt by the military government to target dissidents using a controversial law.

Daouda Diallo, a 2022 recipient of the Martin Ennals international human rights award, was abducted on Friday in Burkina Faso’s capital of Ouagadougou after visiting the passport department where he had gone to renew his documents, according to the local Collective Against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities civic group, which Diallo founded.

His captors – in civilian clothing – accosted him as he tried to enter his car and took him to “an unknown location,” the group said in a statement on Friday, warning that Diallo’s health could be at risk and demanding his “immediate and unconditional” release.

Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa office said Diallo’s abduction was “presumably (for him) to be forcibly conscripted” after he was listed last month among those ordered to join Burkina Faso’s security forces in their fight against jihadi violence as provided by a new law.

“Amnesty International denounces the use of conscription to intimidate independent voices in #BurkinaFaso and calls for the release of Dr. Diallo,” the group said via X, formerly known as Twitter.

Earlier this year, Burkina Faso’s junta announced the “general mobilization” decree to recapture territories lost as jihadi attacks continue to ravage the landlocked country.

The decree empowers the government to send people to join the fight against the armed groups. But it is also being used to “target individuals who have openly criticized the junta” and “to silence peaceful dissent and punish its critics,” Human Rights Watch has said.

HRW said at least a dozen journalists, civil society activists and opposition party members were informed by the government in November that they would be conscripted, including Diallo, who joined Burkina Faso activists in condemning the move.

“The simple fact of showing an independence of position is enough to be conscripted,” said Ousmane Diallo, a researcher with Amnesty International in Burkina Faso.

“Right now, civil society activists, human rights defenders and even leaders of opposition political parties do not dare express freely their opinions because this decree is being used to silence and intimidate all of the voices that are independent,” he added.

Daouda Diallo won the prestigious Martin Ennals awards for his work in documenting abuses and protecting people’s rights in Burkina Faso where security forces have been fighting jihadi violence for many years.

A pharmacist turned activist, he said last year that he’s regularly followed, his home has been robbed and he rarely sleeps in the same place for fear of being killed.

ALSO READ-Tensions rise between Burkina Faso and Ghana

Previous Story

Global leaders call for binding agreements at COP28

Next Story

Somalia president hails lifting of arms embargo

Latest from -Top News

AU Backs New UN Libya Roadmap

The Roadmap seeks to resolve the Libyan crisis through a political process centred on institutional unification…reports Asian Lite News The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has

Sudan Feels Impact of GERD

The GERD project remains a point of contention among Nile Basin countries….reports Asian Lite News Water levels in Sudan’s Blue Nile have fallen to record lows following Ethiopia’s announcement that it has

UNESCO sounds alarm on teacher gap

Amina Mohammed proposed a five-point plan to strengthen the profession through greater investment, gender equality, support for digital learning…reports Asian Lite News At the UNESCO World Summit on Teachers in Santiago, Chile,

Modi Ends China Trip, US Hails India Ties

US termed India-US ties as a “defining relationship of the 21st century”, stating that partnership between both countries continues to reach new heights….reports Asian Lite News Shortly after videos and images of
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UAE dispatches 50 tonnes of food aid to Burkina Faso

The relief aid is a continuance of the country’s humanitarian

Coup In Burkina Faso

In the capital Ouagadougou, pre-dawn gunfire around the presidential palace