Burkina Faso's junta suspended nearly 360 associations on Tuesday for failing to renew their leadership bodies, according to a ministerial decree, just a week after dissolving about a hundred others.

In mid-April, the government announced the dissolution of 118 associations, many of which were involved in human rights advocacy, citing "legal provisions in force" without further details.

On Tuesday, 359 more associations were suspended for "non-renewal of their leadership bodies in accordance with their statutes, internal regulations, and the law in force," according to a decree by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Emile Zerbo.

The suspended associations operate in areas including religion, the environment, human rights, sports, education, and solidarity.

"During the suspension period, only actions aimed at regularizing the situation of each association are authorized," the document states.

Burkina Faso is led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who came to power after a military coup in September 2022.

In July 2025, the junta leader enacted a law regulating freedom of association, NGOs, and trade unions.

The law reaffirms freedom of association while subjecting it to strict requirements for declaration, administrative oversight, and legal compliance, with penalties that can include dissolution.

According to authorities, the law aims to enhance transparency, map out associations and NGOs, and combat money laundering and the financing of "terrorism."

The country has faced deadly attacks by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State across large parts of its territory for over a decade.

International NGOs or associations operating with foreign funding are often accused of espionage or collusion with jihadists.

"We have associations and NGOs whose sources of funding and activity programs are unknown. We will put an end to that," Prime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo said on public television on Saturday.

"No association will be a Trojan horse for anyone," he stressed.

On Monday, human rights organization Human Rights Watch lamented that the law allows the junta to "intensify its widespread crackdown on civil society."

In early April, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who pursues a sovereignist policy and claims a "popular progressive revolution," said Burkinabè should "forget democracy."

AFP