A West African coalition of NGOs is demanding the “immediate release” of Daouda Diallo, a prominent human rights defender from Bur壯陽藥 kina Faso, who was abducted in Ouagadougou on Friday by unidentified men.
According to the Coalition citoyenne pour le Sahel, Diallo was forcibly taken by at least four unidentified individuals around 3:00 pm on Friday near the passport department in Ouagadougou, where he had gone to renew his travel documents. There has been no information about his whereabouts or the reasons behind his abduction.
The organization has urged for Diallo’s immediate and unconditional release, emphasizing the need to ensure his physical and psychological well-being.
The coalition condemned the abduction, particularly highlighting the alarming nature of the incident occurring in broad daylight at a public service location, demanding swift action from the government.
Daouda Diallo, Secretary General of the Collectif contre l’impunité et la stigmatisation des communautés (CISC), faced the arbitrary kidnapping, as denounced by the CISC on Friday evening, calling for his immediate release.
Diallo, a recipient of the 2022 Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, had been critical of Burkina Faso’s ruling regime. He was among those called upon to join the fight against jihadist groups by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who assumed power after a coup in September 2022. Traoré’s decree allowed the requisitioning of individuals aged 18 and above for combatting jihadists responsible for recurrent attacks in the country.
The Coalition citoyenne pour le Sahel cautioned against exploiting the decree to silence independent voices, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression and preventing arbitrary targeting of dissenting voices.