Burkina Faso has said it considers the death of a Burkinabé activist in custody in Ivory Coast to be an “assassination”.
Alain Traoré, commonly known as Alino Faso, had been arrested six months ago in Ivory Coast, on charges of espionage.
On Saturday, the Ivorian authorities announced that 44-year-old Traoré had taken his own life two days prior, while being held at a military academy.
Burkina Faso’s information minister said the government “rejects the suicide theory”, while Traoré’s supporters have accused Ivory Coast of carrying out “a cover-up for political repression”.
Traoré was a prominent advocate of the military-led governments in Burkina Faso and other countries across the Sahel region.
These juntas have strained relations with regional bloc Ecowas, which wants democratic rule to be restored in the Sahel.
Many of Traoré’s supporters allege that Ivory Coast, a Ecowas member, wanted to silence Traoré over his dissent against the bloc.
The activist led a huge community online – on Facebook alone he had more than 400,000 followers.
When Traoré was arrested in January, human rights groups and Traoré’s supporters said the charges against him were politically motivated.
In response to the activist’s death, Burkinabé Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré called for “full light to be shed on this tragedy” and demanded the body be repatriated to Burkina Faso.
He criticised the Ivorian authorities for announcing Traoré’s death in a public statement on social media, and allegedly not contacting his family first.
“There is a great deal of contempt, a lack of respect and courtesy for the authorities and the people of Burkina Faso, and it is even more so for the family of the deceased who discovered such painful news on social media,” the foreign minister said.
He added that on Monday, he summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Ivorian Embassy in Burkina Faso in order to obtain verbal confirmation of Traoré’s death.
Ivory Coast’s public prosecutor has said investigations into the “motives and circumstances” of Traoré’s “suicide” were under way.
Traoré had moved from Bukina Faso to Ivory Coast with his family in 2021. While there, he owned a restaurant.
Beyond digital activism, Traoré organised aid for displaced civilians.
Rights groups previously said Traoré was detained in “inhumane” conditions and accused the Ivorian authorities of violating international human rights norms.
