This African nation suspends BBC radio, US-funded channel over 'killings' coverage

NEW DELHI: Burkina Faso, the West African nation, has suspended the radio broadcasts of BBC Africa and the US-funded Voice of America (VOA) for two weeks over their coverage of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report.
In their reports, both the platforms had accused the army of extrajudicial killings, authorities said late on Thursday.
The West African country's military summarily executed about 223 villagers, including at least 56 children, in February as part of a campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with jihadist militants, said the HRW in its report based on its own probe.
The Burkinabe army has repeatedly committed mass atrocities against civilians in the name of fighting terrorism, HRW said, calling on authorities to investigate the massacres.
However, the country's communication council rejected the HRW's report as "peremptory and tendentious" declarations against the army likely to create public disorder and it would suspend the programmes of the broadcasters over their coverage of the story.
Later, authorities ordered internet service providers to cut off access to the websites and other digital platforms of the BBC, VOA and Human Rights Watch from Burkina Faso.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) conducted an investigation following a regional prosecutor's statement in March revealing that approximately 170 individuals were killed by unknown attackers in the villages of Komsilga, Nodin, and Soro.
Burkina Faso, along with other Sahel nations, continues to grapple with Islamist insurgencies linked to groups like al Qaeda and Islamic State, originating from neighbouring Mali in 2012.
The inability of authorities to safeguard civilians has led to multiple coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since 2020.
(With AFP inputs)