by Nurat Uthman
A Burkina Faso-based investigative newspaper is suspending publication following the kidnapping of its publishing director, the media outlet said on Wednesday.
Armed men had arrived at the home of Atiana Serge Oulon, the publishing director of L’Evenement, in June and ordered him to get into a minibus, media freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a report.
A few hours later two men had returned to Oulon’s home and introduced themselves to his wife as secret service agents before seizing his computer and telephone, according to the report.
Reuters was not able to establish the identity of the reported abductors or verify other details of the report.
Burkina’s military leaders, who seized power in a 2022 coup, have faced criticism by rights groups over measures they have taken in the name of national security.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have accused the junta of kidnapping and conscripting some of its critics, citing victims and civil society groups.
In June, the Sahel nation’s authorities suspended the publishing of L’Evenement, but a month later the newspaper won a trial against the regulation authority.
In a statement on Wednesday, L’Evenement’s managing director said the newspaper was not available on the market, adding that it was beyond the staff’s control.
“In view of the many challenges we face at the moment, L’Evenement is forced to take a break after this issue,” the bi-monthly newspaper said. It mentioned the absence of Oulon, but did not give any further explanation.
Burkina Faso’s government did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
In April, the West African country suspended the radio broadcasts of BBC Africa and the U.S.-funded Voice of America (VOA) for two weeks over their coverage of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing the army of extrajudicial killings.
