Displaying items by tag: INSO

The military government of Burkina Faso has arrested eight employees of the Netherlands-based International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), accusing them of ‘spying and treason’. The security minister claims that the group, which includes citizens from France, the Czech Republic, Mali, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, continued operating after a three-month ban for allegedly collecting sensitive security data without authorisation; allegedly they passed information harmful to national security to foreign powers. INSO, which specialises in providing safety support for humanitarian operations, categorically rejected the accusations, insisting that all data it gathers is public and used solely to protect aid workers. The arrests come amid Burkina Faso’s growing estrangement from Western nations and its realignment with Russia, along with Mali and Niger. The ruling junta continues to battle armed groups linked to al-Qaeda, while facing criticism from human rights organisations over alleged abuses by its forces and allied militias.