Burkinabe authorities said on Friday they had issued arrest warrants for some 20 people, including journalists, activists, a former minister and former officers in exile over alleged āterrorismā offences.
Ouagadougou Court of Appeal attorney general Desire Sawadogo said 14 arrest warrants with extradition requests had been issued, alongside seven further standard warrants.
Burkina Faso, mired in jihadist violence for a decade, is governed by a junta that seized power in September 2022. It has cracked down hard on any criticism.
Those targeted include Newton Ahmed Barry, a journalist for Radio France Internationale as well as former foreign minister Djibril Bassole, several officers and cyberactivists.
They are accused of ācomplicity in forming a terrorist criminal organisation and complicity in the financing of terrorismā, as well as āforming a terrorist criminal organisationā, āglorifying terrorismā and āincitement to rebellionā.
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Also among those targeted is the Ivorian influencer Camille Makosso, known for diatribes against Sahel region juntas and who has some four million social media followers.
Sawadogo said āmedia such as France 24ā were also in the authoritiesā sights.
According to the prosecutor, more than six cases involving over 45 individuals and legal entities are currently under investigation by Burkina Fasoās specialised anti-terror judicial unit.
The Public Prosecutorās Office also stated that it had sought Metaās cooperation to identify the administrators of pages of contributors accused of glorifying terrorism and to bring legal proceedings against the postsā authors.
AFP
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