Burkinabé Journalist Reappears After Year‑Long Abduction; RSF Demands Clarity on Other Disappearances

July 15, 2025 – Burkina Faso –

Kalifara Séré, a columnist for the private television channel BF1, has reappeared in Ouagadougou after being missing for over a year. He was abducted on June 19, 2024, during a wave of disappearances targeting journalists critical of Burkina Faso’s military leadership. His sudden return on July 11, 2025, offers some relief, but six other journalists remain missing under similar circumstances, prompting renewed calls for accountability.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and IFEX have both expressed deep concern about the pattern of enforced disappearances. While Séré has not publicly commented on his disappearance, RSF suspects he may have been conscripted into the military, as has reportedly happened to other journalists. This includes cases where journalists were abducted, detained incommunicado, and later seen in military uniforms or confirmed as forcibly enlisted. The organisations emphasise that such actions violate international law and press freedom standards.

Séré’s disappearance and return highlight the increasingly hostile environment for journalists in Burkina Faso under the rule of Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Over the past year, the government has targeted independent media through suspensions, intimidation, and detentions. Journalists like Serge Oulon, Adama Bayala, and Alain Traoré remain unaccounted for, and RSF has urged the authorities to clarify their fates immediately.

The return of Kalifara Séré is a rare positive development, but it also raises pressing questions. Human rights groups are demanding transparency about where he was held, under what conditions, and who was responsible. RSF has called on both national and international stakeholders to investigate these disappearances and ensure the safe return of all detained or conscripted media workers.

Burkina Faso now faces mounting pressure to uphold its constitutional obligations and demonstrate a commitment to protecting journalists—not silencing them.

References –

https://ifex.org/burkinabe-journalist-reappears-after-year-long-abduction/

https://rsf.org/en/burkina-faso-return-abducted-news-commentator-kalifara-s%C3%A9r%C3%A9-rsf-calls-authorities-clarify-fate-six