Burkina Faso imposes military training on journalists

Burkina Faso's military-led authorities have required public and private media outlets to take part in an annual “patriotic immersion” programme, with 44 journalists completing a six-day military-style course near Ouagadougou, the government said.

The training was organised by the security ministry at a police academy near the capital and included men and women journalists.

RTB public television shared video of Communication Minister Pingdwende Gilbert Ouedraogo addressing journalists dressed in military fatigues and holding rifles. “A professional journalist who is not a patriot is a threat to their country,” said Ouedraogo, who is also the government spokesman.

Reporters Without Borders criticised the programme. Sadibou Marong, the watchdog's sub-Saharan Africa bureau director, called it “a new, very worrying signal for press freedom” and said journalists “must not be turned into mouthpieces for the war effort”.

Burkina Faso has faced deadly violence by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group for more than a decade. Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in a 2022 coup and has promoted domestically driven and anti-Western policies with the stated aim of reclaiming national sovereignty.

Numerous media outlets have been suspended. Rights groups say dozens of journalists critical of the junta have been forcibly conscripted and sent to the frontline. High-school students taking end-of-school leaving exams have been required since last year to undergo a similar type of training.