BFA 002 / 0525 / OBS 022
Abduction / Forced Disappearance
Burkina Faso

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint initiative of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your immediate intervention regarding the current situation in Burkina Faso.

Context of the situation:

The Observatory has received reports concerning the abduction and subsequent forced disappearance of Amadou Sawadogo, a regional leader for the civil society movement “Balai citoyen,” and Miphal Ousmane Lankoandé, a sociologist serving as the movement’s executive secretary. Since its inception in 2013, Balai citoyen has worked toward establishing a democratic and just society in Burkina Faso.

On March 20, 2025, Amadou Sawadogo was summoned by state security services in Ouagadougou. The interrogation focused on his critical Facebook posts and involved pressure to reveal the locations of other activists. He returned for a second meeting on March 21, 2025, and has not been seen since. Authorities have provided no information regarding his status or whereabouts.

On March 30, 2025, Miphal Ousmane Lankoandé was seized by armed individuals identifying themselves as gendarmes in front of his home in the Karpala district of Ouagadougou. This occurred shortly after his return from Cotonou, Bénin, where he attended an activism workshop. Despite legal inquiries into his disappearance, state institutions have remained silent.

As of this appeal, the location and well-being of both Amadou Sawadogo and Miphal Ousmane Lankoandé remain unknown, leaving their families and colleagues in a state of deep distress.

This pattern of repression against Balai citoyen is not new. Guy Hervé Kam, a prominent lawyer and co-founder of the movement, was previously detained in violation of regional legal standards and currently faces charges of conspiracy. Other members, Rasmané Zinaba and Bassirou Badjo, were forcibly conscripted into the military in early 2024 despite a court order suspending their mobilization. They remain deployed on the front lines.

Furthermore, the military administration in Burkina Faso has intensified its crackdown on the press. Several journalists, including Guezouma Sanogo, Boukary Ouoba, and Luc Pagbeguem, were abducted in late March 2025. Others, such as Kalifara Sere, Serges Oulon, and Bayala Adama, have been missing since mid-2024.

The Observatory notes that these abductions are part of a systematic effort to silence civil society and independent media. Under the guise of “patriotic information,” the authorities use 2022 and 2023 decrees to forcibly draft activists and critics into military service. The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances has expressed grave concern over these practices, suggesting they may constitute international law violations. The Observatory strongly opposes the potential forced conscription of Amadou Sawadogo and Miphal Ousmane Lankoandé.

We condemn these disappearances, which appear to be direct retaliation for human rights advocacy. We urge the military leadership in Burkina Faso to disclose the location of these individuals, ensure their immediate release, and uphold international standards for freedom of speech and association.

Requested Actions:

Please write to the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso to demand the following:

1. Ensure the physical and psychological safety of Amadou Sawadogo and Miphal Ousmane Lankoandé.
2. Reveal their current whereabouts and grant them immediate access to legal counsel and their families.
3. End the practice of forced disappearances and the targeted military conscription of activists and journalists.
4. Stop all forms of judicial and physical harassment against human rights defenders in the country.
5. Comply with international treaties, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, regarding fundamental freedoms.

Key Contacts:

• Captain Ibrahim Traore, President of the Transition
• Jean-Emmanuel Ouédraogo, Prime Minister
• Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, Minister of Justice
• Jean Marie Karamoko Traore, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• National Human Rights Commission of Burkina Faso

Please also contact the diplomatic missions of Burkina Faso in your respective regions to voice these concerns.