Burkina Faso tightens oversight of NGOs in latest regulatory move
Ouagadougou – In a significant regulatory action, Burkina Faso’s government has withdrawn the operating authorizations of 11 foreign non-governmental organizations while imposing a temporary suspension on a local sports association.
The decisions, formalized through ministerial decrees signed June 16 by Territorial Administration Minister Émile Zerbo, mark the latest step in the country’s efforts to enforce compliance with national legislation governing civil society organizations.
The revoked NGOs – including prominent international groups such as the Tony Blair Institute, DIGNITY (Danish Institute Against Torture), and Practical Action – failed to meet legal requirements under Burkina Faso’s 2015 association law.
Authorities specifically cited non-compliance with Article 31 mandates requiring formal establishment agreements as the primary reason for the revocations.
Other affected organizations span sectors from human rights to mining oversight and cultural development.
Simultaneously, the Burkindé Floorball Association faces a three-month suspension, renewable pending review, for violations of the country’s 2019 sports orientation law.
The sports organization, originally registered in November 2022, had successfully renewed its authorization just months earlier in January 2025.
These enforcement actions draw authority from Burkina Faso’s constitutional framework and the revised 2024 Transition Charter.
They reflect the transitional government’s increasingly stringent approach to regulating both international and domestic civil society groups, particularly in the context of ongoing security challenges and sovereignty preservation efforts.
The Ministry’s General Secretariat has been tasked with ensuring full implementation of these measures across affected organizations.
Maurice K. ZONGO
