Reporters Without Borders alleges that investigative journalist Atiana Serge Oulon was abducted on 24 June 2024 and secretly detained and abused in a villa-turned-prison in Ouagadougou until at least the end of 2025. RSF says the military's claim that he was conscripted is a smokescreen to hide his captivity. Former detainees described beatings, threats of execution and severe food deprivation. The group calls for Oulon's immediate release amid a wider crackdown on civil society and the press.
RSF Alleges Burkina Faso Military Secretly Detained Investigative Journalist Atiana Serge Oulon
Burkinabe journalist Atiana Serge Oulon speaks at a news conference in Dakar, Senegal [File: Reporters Without Borders via AP Photo]
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has accused Burkina Faso's military authorities of secretly detaining and abusing prominent investigative journalist Atiana Serge Oulon after his abduction on 24 June 2024.
In a report published on Wednesday, RSF says Oulon was taken from his home by roughly 10 armed men wearing civilian clothes. While the authorities later asserted that the director of the newspaper L'Evenement had been conscripted into the military, RSF's investigation found that Oulon was instead held captive and subjected to violence at a villa in Ouagadougou converted into a makeshift detention centre until at least the end of 2025.
Allegations of Abuse
The watchdog and former detainees describe harsh conditions inside the heavily guarded villa. Detainees reported routine beatings, threats of execution, severe food deprivation and degrading sanitation. Guards allegedly used tree branches as whips and forced prisoners to sleep on bare floors for months.
We slept directly on the floor, and we wore the same clothes for months. We drank water from the toilets.
RSF called the authorities' claim of forced conscription a smokescreen intended to conceal Oulon's captivity and demanded his immediate release. The organisation noted that Oulon had been targeted by the military since 2022 after he publicly accused a senior army officer of embezzlement.
Political and Security Context
The allegations come amid a broader crackdown by the military government that seized power in a 2022 coup led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré. In recent months the authorities have banned the activities of more than 100 associations, dissolved all political parties and imposed tighter limits on civic space and press freedom.
Rights groups say the measures, together with reports of forced conscription and secret detentions, point to a shrinking environment for dissent. Burkina Faso continues to battle a widening security crisis across the western Sahel, including long-running conflicts with armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL. The government has also accused some internationally funded NGOs of spying and treason.
RSF said its requests for comment to the minister of communication went unanswered, and there was no immediate official response to the report.
Help us improve.
