By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent
The military junta in Burkina Faso has used forced military conscription as a “smokescreen” to cover the secret detention and abuse of dissidents, according to a new report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The advocacy group reveals that high-profile figures, including investigative journalist Atiana Serge Oulon, are not being sent to the front lines as officially claimed. Instead, RSF findings suggest they are being held in clandestine facilities within the capital city, Ouagadougou. Oulon’s case highlights what rights groups describe as a deepening crisis of human rights under the current regime.
The Disappearance of Atiana Serge Oulon
Atiana Serge Oulon served as the editor of the prominent newspaper L’Événement. Armed men in civilian clothes seized him from his home in June 2024. While the military government eventually claimed Oulon had been conscripted into service to fight Islamist militants, RSF now disputes this official narrative. Evidence from former detainees suggests Oulon was never sent to a military unit, and his current location remains unknown to his family. “This journalist’s so-called conscription into the army was merely a smokescreen to cover up his detention,” RSF journalists Haïfa Mzalouat and Camille Montagu said in a statement, adding that Oulon’s place is “neither on the front line nor in a secret prison.”
Grim Realities Inside Secret Detention Centers
According to the RSF report, former detainees provided chilling accounts of a makeshift prison in Ouagadougou. The group reports that Oulon and up to 40 others were held in a heavily guarded house as of late 2025, operating entirely outside the legal justice system. Witnesses described harrowing conditions and systematic physical abuse. “They reported sleeping on bare floors, having to drink toilet water and being beaten by guards wielding ropes and tree branches,” the report stated.
Retaliation for Corruption Investigations
Oulon’s legal troubles began after he published an investigation in 2022 accusing an army captain of embezzlement. RSF asserts that his detention is direct retaliation for this work. The group is now demanding his immediate and unconditional release, noting that he had been in the junta’s crosshairs long before his abduction.
Direct Involvement of the Junta Leadership
The crackdown appears to be orchestrated from the highest levels of government. RSF’s evidence suggests the inner circle of Capt. Ibrahim Traoré is personally managing these secret sites. A security officer for the junta leader reportedly briefed detainees before their release, issuing stern warnings not to speak out about their experiences or the location of the facility.
The Junta’s Defense and the General Mobilization Decree
The Burkinabè government maintains that its actions are legal under an April 2023 “general mobilization” decree. This sweeping emergency law grants President Traoré extensive powers to requisition people and goods to combat the country’s decade-long Islamist insurgency. Officials argue that during a national security crisis, citizen participation in the defense effort is a mandatory patriotic duty rather than a punitive measure. The junta has frequently characterized international criticism as interference from what it calls “imperialist labs disguised as NGOs.”
The military government of Burkina Faso, has repeatedly accused France of engaging in deliberate efforts to destabilize the country following the termination of military agreements and the withdrawal of French troops in early 2023. The accusations of France’ involvement are part of a broader regional notion, involving the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—which have severed traditional ties with France in favour of security partnerships with Russia.
Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) reached out to the Burkinabè Ministry of Communication in Ouagadougou and the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Accra for specific reaction to these allegations. No response was immediately received, though GBC remains committed to updating this report with any official statement provided by the authorities.
A Widening Crackdown on Media and Civil Society
The detention of Oulon coincides with a sharp escalation in the junta’s efforts to control the narrative of the conflict. On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the military-led government announced a ban on the French television channel TV5 Monde, accusing the broadcaster of “disinformation” and the “apology for terrorism” regarding its coverage of regional violence. Simultaneously, authorities ordered the dissolution of approximately 200 associations and civic groups. Human rights monitors warn these measures represent a final closure of independent civic space in the country.
A Pervasive Atmosphere of Terror
Burkina Faso has seen a steady erosion of civil liberties since the 2022 coup. Human Rights Watch confirmed the severity of this shift in an April report, stating that under Traoré, the junta has carried out a broad crackdown that has fostered “an atmosphere of terror and severely restricting the flow of information.” The government has historically ignored specific allegations of secret imprisonment, focusing instead on its military objectives.
The Strategic Dilemma of Sahelian Security
The international community remains divided on the situation in the Sahel. While rights groups condemn the suppression of dissent, the junta continues to prioritize state survival against Al-Qaeda and Islamic State-linked groups. This tension between authoritarian stability and democratic freedoms remains the central conflict in Burkina Faso’s political landscape. As the military scales up its forces to a projected 100,000 reservists, the line between legitimate national defense and the silencing of internal critics remains a point of global contention.
