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Four individuals who were abducted and forcibly conscripted by the Burkinabè military junta to fight jihadists have been released, according to their families and a security source speaking to AFP. Their abductions occurred after they publicly criticised the junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, which seized power in a coup in September 2022. Authorities have been accused of misusing a general mobilisation decree to silence dissent by conscripting critics into frontline combat roles. Among those freed is columnist Kalifara Seré, who had been missing since June 2024 after he questioned official narratives about a presidential appearance following a nearby shelling incident. A close associate of Seré confirmed his release last weekend, stating he is in good health and spending time with his family.
Other released detainees include Benoît Bassolé, nephew of ex-foreign minister Djibril Bassolé, who was abducted in September 2024 amid allegations of a conspiracy involving his exiled uncle. Also freed were Marcel Imané, a German teacher kidnapped in March for criticising the country’s worsening security situation, and civil society leader James Yazid Dembélé, whose alleged death following torture had sparked outrage. Dembélé had been seized in January in Bobo-Dioulasso after reportedly leaking an audio recording involving state intelligence. A security source confirmed all four releases, attributing them to the official “end of their requisition”. Their cases underscore mounting concerns over the junta’s repressive tactics against critics under the guise of national security operations.
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