Burkina Faso’s military government has arrested eight staff members of a Netherlands-based humanitarian organisation, accusing them of espionage and treason, a claim the organisation has strongly rejected.
Security Minister Mahamadou Sana told reporters that those detained included a French man, a French-Senegalese woman, a Czech national, a Malian, and four Burkinabe employees. He alleged that the staff continued working for the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) after it was banned for three months, supposedly “collecting sensitive data without authorisation.”
Sana said some of the employees engaged in covert activities, including information gathering and both in-person and online meetings, even after the ban was imposed at the end of July. He added that the group’s country director, who had been arrested previously, was among those detained. According to the minister, the staff collected and transmitted sensitive security information that could harm national security and the interests of Burkina Faso to foreign powers.
INSO, headquartered in The Hague, issued a statement rejecting the government’s allegations, insisting that its work is “exclusively for the purpose of keeping humanitarians safe.” The organisation said the information it gathers is largely public and not confidential. It added that it was committed to doing everything possible to secure the release of its detained colleagues.
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Observers note that Burkina Faso’s military government has increasingly distanced itself from Western powers, including France, its former colonial ruler, since seizing power in a coup in September 2022. Along with neighbouring Mali and Niger, which are also under military rule, Burkina Faso has withdrawn from several regional and international bodies, forming the Alliance of Sahel States.
The bloc has scaled back defence cooperation with Western nations, favouring closer ties with Russia. Analysts cite Niger’s nationalisation of a uranium mine operated by a French firm as part of the broader shift in the region.
The military administrations in the three countries face ongoing conflicts with armed groups linked to al-Qaeda, which control territory and continue to attack military positions. Human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have documented possible atrocities involving both insurgents and military forces in Burkina Faso and Mali.
The arrest of INSO staff highlights the growing tension between humanitarian actors and the region’s military authorities, raising concerns over the safety of foreign aid workers in volatile areas.
— Africa Today News, New York