Sophie Douce and Agnès Faivre, journalists with Le Monde and Libération respectively, landed in Paris on Sunday after being given 24 hours to leave the former French colony by the military government. The expulsion was given after the publication of a Libération investigation of a video that shoed the execution of children in military barracks as the authorities said that it could be described as manipulation disguised as journalism. Both journalists were separately questioned by the authorities on Friday, then, were later notified of their expulsion from the country.
The two newspapers have shown their displeasure at this act, and condemned the expulsions, saying that it is a major setback for freedom of the press in Burkina Faso. The Director of Le Monde, Jérôme Fenoglio, said that Sophie Douce’s reporting “obviously ended up seeming unbearable to the regime of Ibrahim Traoré, transition president for six months,” while a statement on Libération’s website said, “We strongly protest against these absolutely unjustified expulsions…… These restrictions on freedom of information are unacceptable and the sign of a power that refuses to allow its actions to be questioned.”
