Burkina Faso’s military government has ordered the dissolution of 118 non-governmental organisations and civil society associations, in what rights groups are describing as the most sweeping attack on civic space in the West African country’s recent history.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Mobility announced the measure on Wednesday, inviting the heads of the newly banned groups to comply with a restrictive 2025 law governing associations and NGOs. Any offender faces the penalties provided for under current regulations, the ministry warned.
The move is the latest in a systematic campaign to silence dissent since military leader Ibrahim Traore seized power in September 2022.
A Flagrant Attack on Basic Rights
Amnesty International was quick to condemn the latest crackdown. In a statement, the organisation said the dissolution was a flagrant attack on the right to freedom of association and entirely inconsistent with Burkina Faso’s own constitution and international human rights obligations.
This dissolution is also entirely inconsistent and incompatible with Burkina Faso’s international human rights obligations, said Ousmane Diallo, Amnesty’s senior researcher for the Sahel region. We are alarmed and deeply concerned.
Diallo described the move as part of a much broader effort to silence civil society through a combination of repressive tactics that include abusive legislation, intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention, and prosecution of human rights defenders and activists.
A Systematic Dismantling
The dissolution of 118 organisations did not happen in isolation. In July 2025, Traore signed a law restricting the operations of rights groups and trade unions. In August 2025, the government revoked authorisation for 21 rights groups and gave 10 others suspensions. In November 2025, all NGOs were ordered to close their bank accounts and transfer them to a state-controlled bank. In January 2026, all political parties were dissolved. In April 2026, Traore told citizens to forget about democracy.
The Security Context
The crackdown is taking place against the backdrop of a deteriorating security situation. Armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have expanded their operations across Burkina Faso. More than two million people have been displaced. Human Rights Watch documented horrific civilian casualties inflicted by the military and its proxy forces.
With the security situation increasingly out of control, the Traore government appears to be systematically eliminating any voice that might hold it accountable.
International Response
The African Union and ECOWAS have expressed concern but taken no concrete action. France, Burkina Faso’s former colonial power, has largely maintained public silence on the human rights situation.
Amnesty International is calling on the Traore government to immediately rescind the dissolution order. Until then, the organisations cannot legally exist — leaving thousands of beneficiaries without services and hundreds of human rights defenders at risk of criminal prosecution.