Burkina Faso rights defender abducted as concerns grow over alleged clampdown on dissent

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Rights groups in Burkina Faso say a prominent human rights defender has been abducted by unknown individuals in what they say could be the latest attempt by the military government to target dissidents. According to a group he founded, Daouda Diallo — who won a high-profile human rights award in 2022 — was taken to an unknown location by men who accosted him in the capital city on Friday. Amnesty International said his arrest could be related to his conscription by the junta under a decree to help fight jihadi violence. Activists say the controversial law is being used to clamp down on dissent.