Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, each governed by military authorities that came to power through coups, have created conditions that have effectively ended independent journalism within their borders. Foreign correspondents have been expelled, media trade associations dissolved, domestic outlets suspended and journalists imprisoned.

In Burkina Faso, four journalists and columnists were forcibly conscripted into the army in 2024; the fate of one remains unknown. Amnesty International spoke to three journalists from the region, whose names and nationalities have been changed to protect their identities.

All three described variations on the same dynamic: private media are expected to relay official narratives and government-aligned influencers without independent verification, while topics including armed attacks and the humanitarian situation carry personal risk regardless of how carefully they are handled. One journalist now in exile recalled receiving repeated threats after expressing solidarity with abducted colleagues and being told he would be next.

He noted that in newsrooms, certain topics had become unspoken prohibitions requiring no editorial discussion, because no outlet would act on them. Another described a climate of total mistrust and said that arrests were now targeting not just journalists but anyone who thinks critically and expresses their views.

A third, still working inside his country, described doing so anonymously and with maximum caution, avoiding signing his own articles. He warned that quality media outlets with decades of history are at risk of disappearing entirely, and that rebuilding a generation of experienced journalists capable of mentoring successors would take years, even if conditions were eventually to improve.

Source: Amnesty International, 1 May 2026; Amnesty International Niger report, March 2025; Amnesty International Burkina Faso / Mali / Niger campaign, October 2025