WEST AFRICA — Burkina Faso's Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility announced on Wednesday the dissolution of 118 NGOs and associations based in the country and banned their activities. Many of the dissolved organizations are involved in defending human rights.

Territorial Administration Minister Emile Zerbo invited the heads of the banned associations to comply with a law signed by Ibrahim Traore in July 2025 that restricts the operations of rights groups and unions. "Any offender faces the penalties provided for under current regulations," Zerbo said. Within one month of that law's enactment, the government revoked authorisation for 21 rights groups and suspended the activities of 10 others for three months, citing administrative reasons.

Ousmane Diallo, Amnesty's senior researcher for the Sahel region, criticized Wednesday's action. "We are alarmed and deeply concerned by this flagrant attack on the right to freedom of association. Dissolving NGOs and associations is at odds with the constitution of Burkina Faso," he said. "This dissolution is also entirely inconsistent and incompatible with Burkina Faso's international human rights obligations," Diallo added. He said the dissolution was part of a broader effort to silence civil society through repressive tactics including abusive legislation, intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention, and prosecution of human rights defenders and activists.

Traore took power in a coup in 2022. Since then, the military government has cracked down on NGOs, unions, freedom of assembly, and opposition to military rule.

In November 2025, the government ordered all national and international NGOs to close their commercial bank accounts and transfer them to a newly created state-controlled bank. In January 2026, the government dissolved all political parties after three years of suspension. In April 2026, Traore told citizens to forget about democracy. Burkina Faso is also engaged in an ongoing conflict with armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL.