Burkina Faso Junta Shuts Ouagadougou Main Sunni Mosque After Arrests of Imam Kindo Supporters

Burkina Faso’s military junta shut the capital’s main Sunni mosque in Ouagadougou after nearly 100 supporters of detained preacher Mohamad Ishaq Kindo were arrested following protests.

“Prominent Muslim cleric who criticised junta held in Burkina Faso An influential Sunni preacher and imam was arrested in military-run Burkina Faso on Tuesday after criticising a draft law regulating religion, with police firing tear gas on people seeking his release”

24NewsHD

The closure was announced through a decree issued by the regional governor, citing risks of “public disorder” after worshippers gathered at the mosque demanding the imam’s release.

24NewsHD

Kindo was arrested on Tuesday after criticising a proposed law aimed at regulating religious freedoms in the predominantly Muslim West African nation.

The demonstrations marked a rare public challenge to Burkina Faso’s military rulers, who have tightened restrictions on dissent since Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in a 2022 coup.

A security source said nearly 100 supporters of the imam had been detained in recent days and transferred to a camp for what authorities described as “civic and citizenship training”.

In Ouagadougou, police fired tear gas on people seeking Imam Kindo’s release after he was arrested in military-run Burkina Faso for criticising a draft law regulating religion.

A relative who witnessed the arrest on the eve of Eid al-Adha said it was carried out “by security personnel, including masked police and soldiers”.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Federation of Islamic Association of Burkina (FAIB) said in a statement that it “values calm dialogue” and urged its members to “remain calm and show solidarity.”

Another close associate said some of the worshippers were injured, and hundreds of people protested in the capital demanding his release before crowds were broken up when teargas was fired.

The junta has justified its punitive action against dissent because of its lengthy fight against jihadist groups across the country.

The arrest followed Council of Ministers approval on March 19 of a draft law regulating religious freedoms, which provides for banning the establishment of places of worship inside public facilities, with the exception of hospitals, prisons, and military barracks.

“Burkina Faso’s military junta has closed the capital’s main Sunni mosque after nearly 100 supporters of a detained preacher were arrested following protests, deepening concerns over growing repression under the country’s military rulers”

GhanaWeb

State Minister Emile Zierbo said the law aims to “enhance national cohesion and close the legal gap surrounding the exercise of religious freedoms.”

After Kindo’s arrest, the Union of Islamic Associations in Burkina Faso said authorities had moved him to an unknown destination, while the state had not issued any official statement outlining the legal reasons for his detention or the status of his condition.

The crackdown extended beyond Kindo, with the arrest of Imam Mahmoud Baro in mid-April under similar circumstances, and the government suspending the General Union of Burkina Faso Students for three months following a May 25 statement.

The broader political context included a March statement by Traoré that the country should “forget democracy,” alongside reports that the government dissolved more than one hundred NGOs and civil society organizations in April.