Autopsy Conducted on Alino Faso as Burkina Faso Rejects Côte d’Ivoire Suicide Narrative

Burkinabe justice officials have confirmed that they have performed an autopsy on the body of Alain Christophe Traoré, known as Alino Faso, whose controversial death in detention in Abidjan has sparked tensions between Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire.

The autopsy was carried out on August 19, 2025, at the Bogodogo University Hospital by a team of forensic doctors. The procedure was ordered by the senior investigating judge of the Ouagadougou I High Court as part of a judicial investigation opened on July 31, following a complaint lodged by the activist’s family.

In a communiqué issued on August 20, Burkina Faso’s Prosecutor, Blaise Bazié, confirmed the operation, noting that the results would be added to the case file. No medical findings have yet been released to the public. The prosecutor’s office has invited anyone with information relevant to the case to report to Chamber No. 3 of the Ouagadougou I High Court.

Alino Faso died on July 24, 2025, in an Abidjan detention centre. Ivorian prosecutors declared it a suicide by hanging, allegedly following a failed attempt to slit his wrists. Burkinabe authorities have rejected this version, openly suspecting an assassination.

On August 18, his body was repatriated aboard a Burkinabe military aircraft. The coffin, draped in the national flag, was received in Ouagadougou by a large crowd that included government officials, family members, and influential personalities. From the airport, the body was transported to Bogodogo University Hospital for the autopsy.

Outside, demonstrators held placards reading “Justice for Alino Faso”, while several public figures condemned what they described as a political crime. After the autopsy, the body was returned to the family for funeral rites in Gounghin.

The Burkinabe government criticised what it described as an unusual 72-hour silence between the activist’s death on July 24 and its official announcement, during which neither his family nor the Burkinabe embassy in Abidjan were informed.

While Abidjan maintains that the activist took his own life, Ouagadougou insists on an independent investigation to uncover the truth. The conflicting narratives have further strained relations between the two neighbouring states.

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