The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is extremely concerned about the 500,000 FCFA (USD 843) fine imposed on BF1 Television by Burkina Faso’s media regulator, the Conseil Supérieur de la Communication (CSC), on March 26, 2025.
The fine was in response to a report aired by BF1 on the Congress of the Association of Journalists of Burkina Faso (AJB), held on 21 March at the Norbert Zongo Press Centre. The CSC claimed the broadcast contained content deemed “insulting, defamatory and malicious” towards state authorities, the national broadcaster Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB), and the state-owned news agency Agence d’Information du Burkina (AIB). The regulator also accused BF1 of spreading “misinformation” based on “unfounded allegations.”
Following the sanction and the pressure it generated, BF1 issued a public apology on the same day to RTB and AIB and withdrew the report. In a press release, the station expressed regret for describing the public media as “propagandist.”
Two days prior to the fine, on March 24, Luc Pagbelguem—the journalist who authored the BF1 report—was taken away by agents of the National Security Council for questioning. His whereabouts remain unknown at the time of publishing.
On the same day, the President and Vice President of AJB, Guezouma Sanogo and Boukary Ouoba, were arrested following remarks made during the AJB Congress criticising the government’s control over information and its use of state media for propaganda purposes.
In a further escalation, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility dissolved the AJB on March 25, citing Law No. 064-2015/CNT of 20 October 2015 and declaring the Association “non-existent.” The ministry has also warned of sanctions against anyone who attempts to revive or defend the group.
These coordinated actions represent a worrying trend of repression and intimidation against the media and civil society in Burkina Faso, effectively forcing journalists and dissenting voices into self-censorship.
The MFWA urges the Burkinabè government to immediately halt these attacks on press freedom and calls on the African Union to intervene to protect the fundamental rights to expression, association, and participation in governance.