Burkina Faso’s military authorities have suspended the country’s largest student union and arrested its leader, intensifying a broader crackdown on civil society organisations since the 2022 coup.
A decree issued by the Minister for Territorial Administration announced that the General Union of Students of Burkina (Ugeb) has been banned from operating for three months over allegations of “advocating terrorism”.
The move marks the latest in a series of restrictions targeting independent organisations, with nearly 1,000 civil society groups reportedly dissolved or suspended in recent weeks under the ruling military junta.
The government has pursued increasingly hardline measures against dissenting voices, accusing critics of undermining national security in a country still battling widespread jihadist violence.
Tensions escalated after Ugeb last week issued a statement condemning what it described as violations of democratic and trade union freedoms, while also raising concerns over alleged abductions, detentions, and secret imprisonments.
The union also criticised the junta’s handling of insecurity, saying it had failed to restore stability in areas affected by armed insurgency.
According to the organisation, around 10 students — including its president Wilfried Bazo — were arrested overnight between Monday and Tuesday when armed, unidentified individuals stormed its headquarters in Ouagadougou.
Authorities said prosecutors would launch a judicial investigation into the student union, citing the “gravity” of statements and writings attributed to it.
Rights organisation Human Rights Watch condemned the suspension, warning that silencing student voices would not address Burkina Faso’s worsening security and governance crisis.
The latest crackdown highlights growing tensions between the military government and civil society groups amid ongoing conflict and political instability in the country.
