Burkina Faso detains European NGO staff over espionage claims
Authorities accuse Netherlands-based group of collecting and sharing sensitive national security data with foreign powers
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (MNTV) — Burkina Faso’s military government announced the arrest of eight members of a humanitarian organization, including three Europeans, on charges of “spying and treason.”
Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said those detained were part of the Netherlands-based International NGO Safety Organization (INSO), which supports humanitarian agencies with security assessments.
The group included a French national, a French-Senegalese woman, a Czech citizen, a Malian, and four Burkinabe staff members.
Sana stated that the NGO’s country director and deputy were among those arrested, noting that the director had previously been detained in July when INSO was suspended for “collecting sensitive data without authorization.”
Despite a formal ban issued on July 31, some members allegedly continued covert operations, including data gathering and online meetings.
Authorities claim the NGO shared confidential security information that could compromise Burkina Faso’s national interests. INSO, headquartered in The Hague, maintains that its role is to provide security analysis for humanitarian organizations operating in high-risk regions.
Since coming to power in a September 2022 coup, Burkina Faso’s junta has distanced itself from Western allies, particularly France, and has frequently restricted civil society which it seems as operating under Western influences, and for Western interests.
The military junta, under the leadership of President Ibrahim Traore, has been very popular among the Burkina Faso population, and in rest of Africa.
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