The Silent Conscription: Burkina Faso's Junta Targets Critics

Arouna Loure, an outspoken critic of Burkina Faso's military junta, was forcibly conscripted into military service, highlighting a troubling pattern of abductions and forced disappearances of government critics. Human rights organizations accuse the junta of silencing dissent through intimidation, forced enlistment, and torture. Most abductees remain unaccounted for.

Arouna Loure, known for his outspoken criticism of Burkina Faso's military junta, received a conscription order on Sept. 7 last year. It lacked specifics, demanding his military service to commence within four days. By Sept. 13, Loure was forcibly taken by armed men from his hospital workplace to a military camp near Kaya. His abduction was widely reported, intensifying concerns about forced disappearances of critics, rights defenders, and journalists in Burkina Faso.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have accused the ruling junta of targeting government critics with kidnappings and forced conscriptions. Authorities have not addressed these allegations despite repeated requests for comment. Loure, released after three months, reported that he and eight other critics were conscripted at the Kaya camp, facing punitive actions designed to silence dissent. The forced conscriptions, verified by Reuters, have left many victims unaccounted for, with allegations of torture emerging from released individuals.

In a broader context, these actions reflect part of junta leader Ibrahim Traore's efforts to suppress dissent since the September 2022 coup. Despite the junta's promises to restore security, the country remains unstable, with ongoing violence and unrest. Analysts describe the situation as an 'authoritarian drift,' revealing Traore's increasingly hardened stance as the government struggles to secure control. The junta's tactics, including forced conscriptions, continue to raise human rights concerns on both domestic and international fronts.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)