Burkina Faso has suspended the radio broadcasts of BBC Africa and the U.S-funded Voice of America (VOA) for two weeks over their coverage of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report accusing the army of extrajudicial killings, authorities said late on Thursday.
In the report based on its own investigation, the rights watchdog said 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.
HRW said the Burkinabe army has repeatedly committed mass atrocities against civilians in the name of fighting terrorism, and it called on authorities to investigate the massacres.
The country's communication council said HRW's report contained "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.
Authorities also said in a statement they had ordered internet service providers to suspend access to the websites and other digital platforms of the BBC, VOA and Human Rights Watch from Burkina Faso.
"The BBC has received a letter from the Conseil Superieur De La Communication confirming the suspension of our broadcast operations in Burkina Faso for two weeks in direct response to our journalism on a recent report by Human Rights Watch accusing Burkina Faso's military of civilian killings," a BBC spokesperson said.
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