Burkina Faso junta forces journalists into military-style patriotism training

Under Capt. Ibrahim Traore’s military government, more than 40 journalists—both male and female—were compelled to complete a six-day “patriotic immersion” course at a police academy outside Ouagadougou. The training, organized by the Security Ministry, required participants to don military fatigues, carry rifles and answer a spokesperson’s call to be “patriotic and professional.” Communication Minister Pingdwende Gilbert Ouedraogo addressed the trainees on RTB television, emphasizing that non-patriotic journalists are a threat.

The move follows a similar requirement imposed on high-school students taking their final exams and is part of Traore’s broader anti-Western, sovereignty-focused agenda. Reporters Without Borders’ Sadibou Marong described the initiative as a worrying signal for press freedom, and rights groups report that dozens of dissenting journalists have been forcibly conscripted and sent to combat zones, with several media outlets already suspended.