Burkina Faso: journalists now required to undergo military training
Over forty Burkinabè journalists, representing both public and private media outlets, have recently completed a military training program. The ruling junta has framed this initiative as a “patriotic immersion,” a program now slated to become an annual requirement within the nation.
While a similar mandatory program was implemented last year for students admitted to baccalaureate studies, given the country’s ongoing conflict against jihadist groups, this new directive targeting media professionals has sparked considerable alarm among press freedom advocates. Their concern is heightened by previous instances where Burkinabè journalists were forcibly conscripted for combat, alongside persistent government pressure on the national press. A stark reminder of this climate is the case of Serge Oulon, who remains detained two years after his abduction in Ouagadougou.
Organized at the behest of the Ministry of Security, the week-long training session unfolded at the Police Academy in Pabré, located approximately twenty kilometers from the capital, Ouagadougou. Video footage broadcast by state television depicted Pingdwendé Gilbert Ouédraogo, the Minister of Communication and government spokesperson, addressing the journalists. Dressed in military fatigues and holding rifles, he posed a direct question: “Will you be patriotic and professional journalists?” The assembled media personnel, standing at attention, responded in unison with a firm “Affirmative!” The minister further elaborated, stating, “A professional journalist who lacks patriotism poses a threat. Conversely, a journalist who is both professional and patriotic, yet uncommitted, is merely a passive observer in a period where the most significant chapters of their country’s history are being written.”
Lassina Traoré, the Director General of the Police Academy, articulated that this training aims to “impregnate [journalists] with the operational realities and fundamental values that guide our defense and security forces on a daily basis.”
Nevertheless, this “patriotic immersion,” to use the authorities’ own terminology, has deeply troubled defenders of press freedom. Sadibou Marong of the NGO Reporters without Borders (RSF) strongly reacted, asserting that “journalists are not military personnel and should not be transformed into instruments of the war effort, clad in military uniforms and carrying weapons.”
While a similar mandatory program was implemented last year for students admitted to baccalaureate studies, given the country’s ongoing conflict against jihadist groups, this new directive targeting media professionals has sparked considerable alarm among press freedom advocates. Their concern is heightened by previous instances where Burkinabè journalists were forcibly conscripted for combat, alongside persistent government pressure on the national press. A stark reminder of this climate is the case of Serge Oulon, who remains detained two years after his abduction in Ouagadougou.
Organized at the behest of the Ministry of Security, the week-long training session unfolded at the Police Academy in Pabré, located approximately twenty kilometers from the capital, Ouagadougou. Video footage broadcast by state television depicted Pingdwendé Gilbert Ouédraogo, the Minister of Communication and government spokesperson, addressing the journalists. Dressed in military fatigues and holding rifles, he posed a direct question: “Will you be patriotic and professional journalists?” The assembled media personnel, standing at attention, responded in unison with a firm “Affirmative!” The minister further elaborated, stating, “A professional journalist who lacks patriotism poses a threat. Conversely, a journalist who is both professional and patriotic, yet uncommitted, is merely a passive observer in a period where the most significant chapters of their country’s history are being written.”
Lassina Traoré, the Director General of the Police Academy, articulated that this training aims to “impregnate [journalists] with the operational realities and fundamental values that guide our defense and security forces on a daily basis.”
Nevertheless, this “patriotic immersion,” to use the authorities’ own terminology, has deeply troubled defenders of press freedom. Sadibou Marong of the NGO Reporters without Borders (RSF) strongly reacted, asserting that “journalists are not military personnel and should not be transformed into instruments of the war effort, clad in military uniforms and carrying weapons.”
