This African country halts US-funded BBC radio due to its coverage of “killings.”

NEW DELHI: The West African country of Burkina Faso has put a two-week hold on the Voice of America (VOA), which is supported by the United States, and BBC Africa’s radio broadcasts because of their coverage of a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Authorities announced late on Thursday that both platforms have accused the army of unlawful executions in their reports.
According to the Human Rights Watch study, which was based on its own investigation, the military of the West African nation summarily murdered around 223 people in February, including at least 56 children, as part of a campaign targeting civilians suspected of working with jihadist insurgents.

HRW noted that the Burkinabe army has often carried out mass murders of civilians under the pretext of combating terrorism and urged authorities to look into the crimes.

The HRW report was rejected by the nation’s communication council, which said that the broadcasters’ coverage of the topic was “peremptory and tendentious” and may cause public disturbance. As a result, the stations’ shows would be suspended.
Afterwards, the BBC, VOA, and Human Rights Watch from Burkina Faso were ordered by the government to remove access to their websites and other digital platforms by internet service providers.
After a regional prosecutor said in March that some 170 people had been slain by unidentified assailants in the villages of Komsilga, Nodin, and Soro, Human Rights Watch (HRW) launched an inquiry.
Burkina Faso and other countries in the Sahel region are still struggling with Islamist insurgencies that originated in neighboring Mali in 2012 and are associated with organizations such as the Islamic State and al Qaeda.
Since 2020, there have been many coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger as a result of the incapacity of the government to protect citizens.