Judicial Unrest: Burkina Faso’s Magistrates Conscripted Amidst Junta Suppression

Six magistrates in Burkina Faso have been conscripted into military service for acting against pro-junta activists, according to three magistrates' unions. The ruling military junta, which took power in a 2022 coup, faces accusations of suppressing dissent. These include reports of enforced disappearances and rampant human rights violations.

At least six Burkina Faso magistrates have been conscripted into military service this month for actions against pro-junta activists and other individuals, according to a joint statement by three magistrates' unions.

The West African country's ruling military junta, which seized power in a 2022 coup, is accused of suppressing dissent through kidnappings and conscriptions and encouraging citizens to report suspicious neighbors under the pretext of national security.

The statement, shared by magistrates' unions with journalists on Friday, indicates that targeted individuals include a prosecutor investigating forced disappearances and a judge handling a case against a pro-junta figure implicated in a deadly landslide. The military regime, often criticized by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has consistently declined to comment on such allegations.

Burkina Faso's army is contending with a jihadist insurgency that has plagued the Sahel region for over a decade, contributing to political instability and multiple coups in the region, including in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger since 2020.

(With inputs from agencies.)