BF1 Commentator Kalifara Séré Missing After Visit to Media Regulator’s Office

June 18, 2024 – Kalifara Séré, a commentator for BF1 Television, has been missing since leaving the Superior Council of Communication (CSC) offices in Ouagadougou, according to sources familiar with the case. A family member and another source who spoke to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on the condition of anonymity cited security concerns.

Séré had gone to the CSC after the media regulator suspended the BF1 program “7 Infos” for two weeks over its rebroadcast of his June 16 comments, in which he questioned the authenticity of images of President Ibrahim Traoré aired by RTB, the state broadcaster. The suspension was confirmed in a June 19 decision by the CSC and a statement by BF1.

Earlier on June 18, before his visit to the CSC, Séré was questioned by police at the regional station in Wemtenga, Ouagadougou, regarding a defamation complaint filed by Désiré Nezien, director of the National Blood Transfusion Centre (CNTS). The complaint was reportedly linked to Séré’s June 16 broadcast comments.

His disappearance has raised serious concerns among press freedom advocates, particularly in the current climate of media repression in Burkina Faso. Advocacy groups have called for an urgent investigation into his whereabouts and guarantees of safety for journalists operating in the country.