Burkina Faso - August 2024

In August, Burkina Faso’s military authorities conscripted at least six magistrates, including prosecutors and a judge, into the army as a punitive measure. According to Burkinabè magistrates’ union, the conscripted magistrates all had open proceedings against supporters of the ruling junta. Forced conscriptions for government security operations have been authorized under last year’s 13 April “general mobilization” plan, which grants President Ibrahim Traoré sweeping powers, including requisitioning people and goods to combat insurgency. The recent conscriptions, however, marked an escalation in the military junta’s efforts to silence dissent and undermine judicial independence. Human Rights Watch condemned this as unlawful and part of a broader pattern of repression under the junta, where state actors have increasingly targeted voices and independent institutions critical of the regime’s practices.

Sources: Reuters, Burkina24, Human Rights Watch, Jeune Afrique, France24, International IDEA