Media bans follow exposure of Burkina Faso killings

Reporting on the killings of 223 civilians in two northern Burkina Faso villages in February, detailed in a recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, has prompted the transitional government in the country to suspend several Western and African media, including BBC Africa and the US -funded Voice of America.

Reuters reports that the US and Britain this week called on Burkina Faso to thoroughly investigate the killings, saying they were ‘gravely concerned by reports of massacres of civilians by Burkinabe military forces in late February.

The HRW investigation alleged the Burkinabe military executed about 223 villagers in February as part of a campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with jihadist militants.

On Sunday, the junta-led West African country’s communications council said that French television network TV5Monde’s broadcasts would be suspended for two weeks, while access to its website would be blocked.

The websites of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, French newspapers Le Monde and Ouest-FranceBritish newspaper The Guardianand African agencies APA and Ecofin were also blocked until further notice.