Burkina Faso’s military government has ordered the forced dissolution of 118 non-governmental organisations and civil society associations, drawing sharp condemnation from international human rights bodies who have described the move as a direct assault on fundamental freedoms.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility announced the ban on Wednesday, citing compliance with existing legal provisions and directing the dissolved groups to immediately cease operations. All affected organisations are domiciled within Burkina Faso, with a significant number engaged in human rights advocacy and civic education.
Territorial Administration Minister Emile Zerbo, in a stern statement accompanying the directive, summoned the leadership of the affected groups to align with a restrictive law enacted in July 2025. “Any offender faces the penalties provided for under current regulations,” Zerbo warned.
Wednesday’s action represents the latest in a string of sweeping measures by the junta of Captain Ibrahim Traore, who seized power in a September 2022 coup. Since then, the government has progressively tightened its grip on civic space banning political parties, curtailing freedom of assembly, and restricting the operations of trade unions and rights bodies. As recently as last July, within weeks of signing the restrictive law, the government revoked authorisation for 21 rights groups and suspended 10 others for three months on administrative grounds.
Amnesty International on Thursday described the latest directive as evidence of an “intensifying crackdown” on civil society across the country. Ousmane Diallo, Amnesty’s Senior Researcher for the Sahel region, said the development was alarming.
“We are deeply concerned by this flagrant attack on the right to freedom of association. Dissolving NGOs and associations is at odds with the constitution of Burkina Faso,” Diallo stated, adding that the dissolution was “entirely inconsistent and incompatible” with the country’s international human rights obligations.
Burkina Faso, already grappling with a worsening jihadist insurgency and a deepening humanitarian crisis, has faced growing isolation from Western partners over its governance trajectory since the coup.
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