Burkina Faso has released eight members of the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) who had been arrested on espionage charges. The release, confirmed by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Friday, includes three Europeans — a French national, a Franco-Senegalese, and a Czech citizen — as well as several African colleagues, including a Burkinabè and a Malian.
The arrests followed the government’s suspension of INSO’s operations for three months in late July, citing the collection of sensitive data without prior authorisation. In the weeks that followed, several staff members were detained and publicly described as part of an “espionage network.” INSO has consistently denied these allegations, maintaining that its work is limited to providing security analyses to protect humanitarian workers operating in high-risk areas.
The release comes against the backdrop of Burkina Faso’s recent decision to reinstate the death penalty in the penal code for crimes including terrorism, treason, and espionage. This move has intensified scrutiny on foreign organisations operating in the country. The case highlights persistent tensions between authorities and some international NGOs, raising concerns about the shrinking humanitarian space in the Sahel and the legal protections for foreign aid workers.
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