Second quarter of 2021 records 3 murders of journalists, longest social media disruption in West Africa

The second quarter of 2021 (April-June) recorded 29 violations in ten countries. Although it represents a 42% drop from the 50 violations recorded in the first quarter (January-March), the gravity is disturbing.

Two journalists were killed in one incident in Burkina Faso and one in Nigeria. Additionally, two citizens (demonstrators) were shot dead in a single incident with one activist also killed in another incident in Ghana. Twitter was banned in Nigeria on June 4 and the order was in force as of the end of June, the longest social media blackout in West Africa.

A terrorist group affiliated with Al Qaïda abducted a freelance French journalist, Olivier Dubois, in Gao, Mali. The 46-year-old freelancer who writes for Le Point, Jeune Afrique and Libération, continued was still in the custody of the abductors as of the end of the monitoring period.

Nigeria recorded ten violations, same as it did in the first quarter, followed closely by Ghana with eight. Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire recorded three and two respectively. The Burkina incidents include the killing of two foreign journalists by armed terrorists.

Eleven incidents of physical attacks and four killings were recorded during the quarter under review. Three cases each of arrests/detentions and of seizures or destruction of journalists’ equipment were also recorded.  Click here to read the full report.