Burkinabe journalists find refuge in Côte d’Ivoire after fleeing traoré regime

Since seizing power in a September 2022 coup, Captain Ibrahim Traoré has presided over a Burkina Faso grappling with a severe security crisis. Within this volatile environment, numerous journalists and civil society members assert they chose exile to escape what they perceived as arbitrary pressures or measures.

During interviews conducted in Côte d’Ivoire, home to a significant Burkinabe diaspora, three journalists and a judicial figure recounted their hurried, sometimes clandestine departures, and the uncertain future they now face.

Continuing to inform despite threats

All interviewees stated they departed Burkina Faso fearing forced conscription into the military or retaliation linked to their professional endeavors. One individual explained that they continue their journalistic work under a pseudonym, while another now mentors young journalists in investigative reporting.

Several also detailed receiving threats via social media platforms and expressed living with the constant apprehension of being located, even from their place of exile. While Burkinabe authorities have not commented on these specific accounts, international human rights organizations have previously condemned the application of the general mobilization decree against certain critics of the regime.

A return contingent on evolving conditions

For these exiles, Côte d’Ivoire primarily serves as a sanctuary. Each harbors the hope of one day returning to Burkina Faso, but they emphasize that their repatriation hinges on a significant improvement in the political and security landscape.

Their narratives underscore the profound challenges confronting a segment of Burkinabe journalists and opposition figures over the past nearly four years. This unfolds in a nation where the authorities justify their actions by citing the critical necessity of combating jihadist groups, which have plagued the territory for over a decade.