This move by the regime, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré since his September 2022 coup d’état, signals a tightening grip on civil liberties. In recent weeks, nearly a thousand other associations have faced dissolution or suspension under a newly enacted law governing freedom of association. 

Ugeb president apprehended 

According to statements from the student organization, approximately ten of its members, including its president, Wilfried Bazo, were apprehended during the night between Monday and Tuesday. Armed individuals in civilian attire reportedly carried out these arrests at the Ugeb’s headquarters in Ouagadougou. The union asserts that several students were taken to an undisclosed location, condemning these actions as “grave violations of freedoms” and demanding their “immediate release.” 

Criticism against the regime 

Just days prior to its suspension, Ugeb had issued a public statement critical of the government, highlighting “violations of democratic, trade union, and political freedoms” allegedly perpetrated under the guise of counter-terrorism efforts. The student movement also accused the military authority of a “manifest inability to restore security” in the face of persistent jihadist violence affecting large swathes of the nation. 

Human Rights Watch decries freedom infringement 

On Wednesday, the Public Prosecutor of Faso declared the initiation of a judicial inquiry into the “writings and statements” attributed to Ugeb. Concurrently, Human Rights Watch characterized this suspension as part of a broader “series of governmental crackdowns on freedom of association and expression.” The human rights organization emphasized that “silencing students will not resolve the security and governance crisis” currently gripping Burkina Faso.