At least six magistrates in Burkina Faso have been forcibly conscripted into the military this month after taking legal action against pro-junta activists and other individuals, according to a joint statement by three magistrates’ unions. The West African nation, currently under the rule of a military junta that seized power in a 2022 coup, faces accusations of suppressing dissent by abducting and conscripting critics while urging citizens to report suspicious activities in the name of national security......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
In the statement released on Thursday, the magistrates’ unions indicated that the conscripted magistrates had recently handled cases involving citizens who claimed to be strong supporters of the ruling government.
Among those targeted is a prosecutor who ordered an investigation into local reports of forced disappearances and a judge overseeing the case of a pro-junta figure linked to a landslide that killed around 60 people.
Despite repeated allegations from critics, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the military rulers have consistently refused to comment on the situation.
Burkina Faso’s army continues to battle a jihadist insurgency that has ravaged the Sahel region for the past 12 years, contributing to a wave of instability that has resulted in multiple coups in the region, including two in Burkina Faso and two in neighboring Mali since 2020.