Burkina Faso arrests eight humanitarian workers accused of spying
The ruling military junta of Burkina Faso announced that it arrested eight members of a humanitarian organisation for alleged “spying and treason”, according to France24 via AFP on October 7th.
Those arrested included four Burkinabe nationals, a Malian, a Czech man, a French-Senegalese woman, and a Frenchman. Security Minister Mahamadou Sana revealed that they were all members of the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), a Dutch group specialising in human safety.
They were accused of collecting and sharing sensitive information that poses a threat to national security. According to Sana, amongst the arrested were the country director of the group in Burkina Faso, alongside his deputy.
The director had once before been arrested by Burkinabe authorities in late July when INSO was suspended for three months for “collecting sensitive data without authorisation.”
INSO is based in the Dutch city of The Hague and delivers vital security analyses for separate humanitarian organisations. Sana alleged that it “collected and passed on sensitive security information that could be detrimental to national security and the interests of Burkina Faso, to foreign powers.”
He continued that despite their suspension from operating, which commenced on July 31st, some INSO members “continued to clandestinely or covertly conduct activities such as information collection and meetings in person or online.”
INSO issued a statement on October 7th where it “categorically” rejected the allegations made by Sana regarding the nature and intent of their activity. It also affirmed that it is “committed to doing everything in our power to secure the safe release of all our colleagues”, according to Al Jazeera on October 8th.
The Burkinabe government holds an extensive record of cracking down on political dissent and often uses the cites national security reasons as an instrument to suppress criticism, illustrating the ruling junta’s ever-increasing authoritarianism.
In September 2022, the current ruling junta of Burkina Faso, headed by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, seized power in a military coup. It has subsequently ceased military cooperation with its former colonial ruler France and the West more broadly.
Instead, it is relying on military support from Russian mercenaries to fight against the ongoing Jihadist insurgency that has plagued the West African nation with widespread violence and instability since 2015.
Traoré justified his takeover by alleging that past Burkinabe leaders inadequately responded to Jihadist violence, promising to restore order and security within two or three months. However, three years on, Burkina Faso is ranked as the country most severely afflicted by terrorism, according to Africanews via AP on September 30th.
The junta also has a distressing human rights record, with humanitarian watchdogs accusing it of massacring civilians and recruiting children into its armed forces.
France24 via AFP, Al Jazeera, Maghrebi.org, Africanews via AFP
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