The military government of Burkina Faso has arrested eight staff members of a Dutch humanitarian organisation, accusing them of spying and treason, in a move that deepens tensions between the West African nation and international partners.
The detainees, who work for the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), include foreign and local staff: a French man, a French-Senegalese woman, a Czech national, a Malian, and four Burkinabe nationals, according to Security Minister Mahamadou Sana.
Accusations of Espionage
Speaking in a statement on Tuesday, Minister Sana alleged the NGO workers continued operating illegally after the government suspended INSO for three months in July, accusing it of unauthorised collection of sensitive data.
“Some of its staff continued to clandestinely or covertly conduct activities such as information collection and meetings in person or online,” Sana said, adding that the information allegedly collected was “passed on to foreign powers” and could threaten national security.
Among those arrested is the country director, who had previously been detained when the suspension was imposed.
INSO Denies Allegations
The Netherlands-based organisation categorically rejected the accusations, saying its work is strictly humanitarian.
“We collect information exclusively for the purpose of keeping humanitarians safe,” INSO said in a statement, adding that the information it gathers is not confidential and “largely already known to the public.”
The NGO also said it is working to secure the safe release of its staff and stands by its mission.
Escalating Tensions with the West
The arrest comes as Burkina Faso’s junta, which came to power in a September 2022 coup, increasingly distances itself from Western nations and organisations, especially France, its former colonial ruler.
The country, along with fellow military-ruled neighbours Mali and Niger, has withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other international groupings, instead forming a new alliance dubbed the Alliance of Sahel States.
The trio has also shifted security and economic alliances toward Russia, with Niger recently nationalising a uranium mine operated by the French firm Orano, and all three countries expelling or downgrading French military presence.
Regional Instability
All three Sahel countries continue to face violent insurgencies from al-Qaeda and ISIS-linked armed groups. Despite billions in international security aid over the years, large swathes of territory remain under militant control, and both the military and insurgent groups have been accused of human rights abuses, including possible atrocities, by watchdogs such as Human Rights Watch.
The arrest of INSO staff is likely to fuel concerns about the shrinking humanitarian space in Burkina Faso, where millions are in need of aid amid escalating violence and displacement.
Observers say the crackdown also reflects the junta’s increasingly hostile stance toward foreign NGOs and media, amid growing isolation from the West and tightening control over information.
