Burkinabe junta supporters target Sky News journalist
Yousra Elbagir, a Sky News journalist, has faced a wave of online attacks from supporters of Burkina Faso's junta following an interview she conducted with junta leader, Ibrahim Traoré.
As the Burkinabe junta intensifies its crackdown on perceived dissent, it is reported that junta supporters are campaigning against a Sky News journalist, according to France 24 and agencies on April 21st.
Yousra Elbagir interviewed junta leader Ibrahim Traoré on April 2nd in Ouagadougou, where she questioned him about restrictions on freedom of expression and the deteriorating security situation tied to Islamist insurgencies.
She asserted that jihadist groups control 60% of Burkina Faso, which contradicts the junta’s narrative that the government controls 74% of the country.
Her report was published on April 10th, leading pro-junta supporters to launch a wave of attacks online, with some calling her a “mercenary of the pen.”
Others shared AI-generated images of Elbagir and spread rumours about her family, including that her father is a British intelligence agent; a pro-Traoré group also circulated a WhatsApp number they claimed was Elbagir’s.
An outlet affiliated with the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) posted a warning: “The time for complacency is over. The era where any foreign media outlet could strut into Ouagadougou to spit on our institutions is finished.”
The AES is a cooperation pact founded by three junta-led Sahel allies, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, which seeks to counter Islamist terrorism through shared intelligence and military resources.
Since seizing power in 2022 following a coup, the Burkinabe junta has become increasingly authoritarian in its suppression of opposition voices, with journalists being arrested for critical reporting.
Pro-government militias have been implicated, alongside the Burkinabe military, in mass killings of civilians under the guise of fighting terrorism.
It was reported on April 3rd that Traoré had urged citizens to reject democracy, claiming it was harmful to African nations because it failed to protect civilians from violence.
On February 9th, the Burkinabe parliament approved a ban on political parties, justified by allegations of “numerous abuses” under the multi-party system.
The electoral commission was dissolved in July 2025 after ministers alleged it was susceptible to “foreign influences”, while the junta suspended all political activity “until further notice” on May 7th, 2025.
Despite vowing to fight terrorism and restore stability upon his rise to power, Traoré has struggled to contain growing Islamist violence.
Jihadist violence is not limited to Burkina Faso, as the Global Terrorism Index estimates the Sahel accounted for nearly half of all terror-related deaths in 2025.
Maghrebi has contacted Elbagir for comment regarding this report, but has not received a response at the time of publication.
France 24 and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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