Security crises do not justify silencing journalists
Em dezembro, homens armados atacaram um centro educativo em Bittou, no sul do Burkina Faso, matando pelo menos cinco professores — uma tragédia que não é isolada, mas sim mais um elo numa cadeia de violência que corrói o país desde 2015. Grupos afiliados à Al-Qaeda e ao Estado Islâmico têm semeado deslocamentos em massa e terror pelo Sahel, enquanto a junta militar, confrontada com a instabilidade, suspende a rádio RFI e restringe o espaço informativo que os cidadãos precisam para compreender o que os rodeia. O que se passa no Burkina Faso é o retrato de uma nação presa entre dois tipos de silêncio: o que a violência impõe e o que o poder decreta.
- Cinco professores foram assassinados num ataque coordenado a uma escola em Bittou, num domingo de dezembro, sem que qualquer grupo tenha reivindicado a autoria.
- Na segunda-feira, todas as escolas da região fecharam em sinal de luto e protesto, revelando o quanto a violência já penetrou no quotidiano de quem ensina e aprende.
- A junta militar suspendeu a RFI, acusando-a de difundir uma mensagem de intimidação do grupo jihadista JNIM, levantando alarmes internacionais sobre liberdade de imprensa.
- Dois jornalistas receberam ameaças de morte online após reportarem sobre discursos de ódio, enquanto o governo prometeu protegê-los sem reverter a suspensão da rádio.
- O Burkina Faso acumula desde 2015 centenas de milhares de deslocados internos e refugiados nos países vizinhos, numa crise humanitária que ultrapassa as suas fronteiras.
Num domingo de dezembro, homens armados atacaram um centro educativo em Bittou, no sul do Burkina Faso, matando pelo menos cinco professores. As autoridades regionais confirmaram quatro mortes e classificaram o sucedido como um "ataque bárbaro"; um quinto corpo foi encontrado posteriormente pelo órgão de comunicação Infowakat. Nenhum grupo reivindicou a responsabilidade.
No dia seguinte, todas as escolas da região permaneceram fechadas em sinal de luto e protesto — um gesto coletivo que sublinha tanto o choque da violência como a vulnerabilidade crescente de quem trabalha na educação no país.
O ataque não é um episódio isolado. Desde 2015, o Burkina Faso vive uma escalada de violência armada protagonizada por grupos afiliados à Al-Qaeda e ao Estado Islâmico, que forçaram centenas de milhares de pessoas a abandonar as suas casas. Muitos procuraram refúgio em países vizinhos do Sahel, alimentando uma crise humanitária de dimensão regional.
Enquanto o governo lidava com o ataque à escola, a junta militar suspendeu as emissões da Rádio France International (RFI), acusando-a de ter transmitido uma mensagem de intimidação do JNIM — o braço regional da Al-Qaeda — dirigida a civis que colaboram com as autoridades. A decisão foi duramente criticada por organizações de defesa da liberdade de imprensa: Sanibou Marong, diretor para África da Repórteres Sem Fronteiras, classificou-a como "um ataque à liberdade de informação" e apelou à sua reversão.
A junta denunciou ainda ameaças de morte recebidas por dois jornalistas nas redes sociais, após estes terem reportado sobre discursos de intolerância, prometendo adotar medidas para garantir a sua segurança. O que fica é a imagem de um país a braços com duas crises simultâneas: a da violência jihadista que mata professores e desloca populações, e a da resposta do Estado que, ao silenciar a imprensa independente, retira aos cidadãos as ferramentas para compreenderem e enfrentarem a primeira.
On a Sunday in December, armed men whose identities remain unknown attacked an educational center in Bittou, a town in southern Burkina Faso. At least five teachers were killed in the assault. Regional authorities confirmed four deaths and described the incident as a "barbaric attack," though the news outlet Infowakat later reported finding a fifth body in the area. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings.
The attack prompted a collective response from the region's schools. On Monday, every educational institution in the area remained closed—a gesture of mourning and protest against what had occurred. The closure underscored both the shock of the violence and the precarious position of those who work in education across Burkina Faso.
The killing of teachers is not an isolated incident but part of a much larger pattern of deterioration. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has experienced a sharp escalation in armed violence. Groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have conducted repeated attacks across the country, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Some have sought refuge in neighboring nations across the Sahel region, creating a humanitarian crisis that extends far beyond Burkina Faso's borders.
While the government grappled with the school attack, it also moved against what it characterized as threats to national stability. The military junta suspended operations of Radio France International (RFI) "until further notice," accusing the station of broadcasting a message of intimidation attributed to a terrorist leader. The message in question came from the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM), Al-Qaeda's regional affiliate. RFI had reported on threats issued by JNIM against civilians cooperating with authorities in their fight against the militant group. The junta argued that by airing this content, RFI was amplifying a terrorist propaganda effort designed to discourage Burkinabés from supporting their government.
The suspension drew swift criticism from international press freedom advocates. Sanibou Marong, the Africa director for Reporters Without Borders, called the decision "an attack on freedom of information and the right of millions of Burkinabés to access it." He argued that security crises do not justify silencing journalists and urged the authorities to reverse course, emphasizing the public's need for plural, independent reporting.
The junta's concerns about messaging extended beyond the RFI case. A government spokesman condemned what he called "verbal excesses" circulating in public spaces and on social media—calls for violence, property destruction, and murder. Two journalists in particular, Lamine Traoré of Omega Group and Newton Ahmed Barry, had received violent threats online after reporting on those who were inciting intolerance and division. The government pledged to take full responsibility for protecting press freedom and the safety of people and property, stating that all necessary measures had been adopted to ensure these protections.
What emerges is a portrait of a country caught between two crises: one of militant violence that kills teachers and displaces populations, and another of state response that restricts the very institutions—free press, independent journalism—that might help citizens understand and address the first crisis. The attack in Bittou is a symptom of the broader insecurity. The suspension of RFI is a symptom of how that insecurity is reshaping governance and limiting the space for public discourse.
Citações Notáveis
The security crisis the country is facing should not be used as a pretext to prevent journalists from covering it with full responsibility and independence.— Sanibou Marong, Africa director of Reporters Without Borders
The government is concerned with verbal excesses in public spaces, ranging from calls for physical violence and property destruction to murder.— Burkina Faso government spokesman
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would a military government suspend a radio station in response to a school attack?
They're not directly connected—the suspension came separately. But both reflect the same pressure. The junta sees RFI as amplifying terrorist messaging, even if RFI was just reporting what the terrorists said. When you're fighting an insurgency and losing ground, you start seeing information itself as a weapon.
So they believe controlling what people hear will help them win?
That's the logic, yes. But it's also a sign of how desperate things have become. If your military is strong, you don't need to silence radio stations. You need to silence radio stations when you're afraid people will lose faith in you.
What does it mean that teachers were specifically targeted?
Schools are symbols of state authority and normalcy. When you attack a school, you're saying the government can't even protect the people educating the next generation. It's psychological as much as tactical. And it works—the schools closed the next day.
Is there any chance the junta's concerns about RFI are legitimate?
Possibly. JNIM did issue threats through that broadcast. But the question is whether reporting on a threat is the same as spreading it. Journalists would say no—that's their job. The junta says yes. That disagreement is where press freedom dies.
What happens to teachers now?
The ones who survived will likely be afraid. Some may leave the profession or the country. Education was already fragile in Burkina Faso. Violence like this accelerates its collapse.