Nearly 100 supporters of Imam Mohamed Ishaq Kindo, the Vice President of the Sunni Movement of Burkina Faso were released on 4 October 2026, after more than four months in detention in Burkina Faso.
They were arrested on 26 May 2026, in Ouagadougou during a demonstration calling for the release of Imam Kindo who had been arrested earlier that afternoon, two days after publicly criticising the draft law on religious freedoms.
The law prohibits the establishment of places of worship in public institutions, including government offices, hospitals and military barracks, and includes measures to limit noise pollution from religious activities. On 20 June 2026, Burkina Faso’s transitional legislative assembly adopted the Religious Freedoms Law.
The arrested protesters were taken to a camp in Ouagadougou for what the authorities described as “civic and citizenship training.” A video that circulated a few days later showed them dressed in military-style uniforms and performing drills.
After more than four months in detention, the protesters have reunited with their families. Images circulated following their release showed them with shaved heads and dressed in military training uniforms.
Despite the release of his supporters, Imam Kindo remains in detention. The authorities have still not publicly disclosed his place of detention or the legal grounds for his continued detention. The main mosque of the Sunni Movement, which was closed on 28 May 2026, following tensions surrounding his arrest, also remains closed.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes the release of those arrested during the 26 May 2026 demonstration. However, their detention for more than four months for participating in a protest raises concerns about respect for fundamental freedoms.
The MFWA renews its call on the Burkinabè authorities to publicly disclose Imam Kindo’s place of detention and the legal grounds for his continued detention, and to release him. We also call on the authorities to reopen the Sunni Movement’s mosque and to engage religious communities through dialogue rather than coercion.
The MFWA further calls on the authorities to clarify the fate and whereabouts of Imam Mahmoud Barro, who has been missing since 31 March 2026, after he also criticised the draft law. The MFWA reiterates that the rights to freedom of expression, religion and peaceful assembly must be guaranteed in accordance with Burkina Faso’s national and international obligations.
