An international non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating in Burkina Faso announced on Friday that eight of its personnel have regained their freedom, several months after the country’s military government detained them over accusations of espionage.
Burkina Faso’s ruling junta, which took control in a coup in September 2022, had in July withdrawn the operational permits of 21 NGOs in the country, among them the Netherlands-based International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO).
In a statement released Friday, the organisation said, “INSO welcomes the safe release of our colleagues, and appreciates the support that made this possible.”
Although the arrests took place in July, the junta only publicly disclosed them in early October. INSO clarified that the detained staff members had actually been freed at the end of October.
The group of eight comprised a French national, a French-Senegalese woman, a Czech national, a Malian citizen, and four Burkinabe workers.
The authorities in Burkina Faso had accused INSO of gathering and sharing sensitive security data with foreign states, insisting that its personnel continued operating secretly despite being barred from functioning in the country.
INSO Denies Allegation
INSO, which specialises in providing security assessments to humanitarian groups, firmly dismissed the espionage accusations levelled against its staff and its activities within Burkina Faso.
The organisation reiterated on Friday, “As a humanitarian organisation, we remain committed to supporting humanitarian organisations delivering aid safely to all those in need.”
INSO also noted that it began operating in Burkina Faso in 2019 “following requests to support NGOs there” by helping improve humanitarian security.
It added, “We strive to uphold the humanitarian principles everywhere we work.”
Burkinabe authorities have frequently cracked down on dissent, including actions targeted at civil society actors and journalists, insisting that such measures are part of efforts to combat the jihadist insurgency that has afflicted the country for ten years.
Armed groups aligned with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State continue to carry out attacks across numerous regions of the country.
By the end of 2024, Niger, a neighbouring state and ally also governed by a military junta, similarly withdrew INSO’s authorisation to operate within its borders.
What You Should Know
The International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), which supports humanitarian groups by offering security insights, had eight staff members arrested by Burkina Faso’s military authorities in July on allegations of espionage.
The junta had banned numerous NGOs, including INSO, accusing them of sharing sensitive information. INSO denied the claims, maintaining its work is strictly humanitarian. The detained personnel, which included European, African, and Burkinabe nationals, were quietly released at the end of October.
The incident highlights the growing tension between civil society organisations and the military governments in Burkina Faso and Niger amid ongoing jihadist violence.
