Connections informs the UN CESCR on the situation of human rights in Burkina Faso
25th December 2025
«Connection e.V.» has recently submitted a report on Burkina Faso to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).
The reports addresses forced conscription in the country and the topic of conscientious objection to military service. It also presents the connected violations related to area of work of the CESCR.
The aim of this submission is to encourage the Committee to include specific items among the List of Issues which will be used for the review of the country.
In particular, «Connection e.V.» recommends addressing the following questions to the State party:
⸻ Please, provide the number of people conscripted following the issuing of the Decree No. 2023—0475.
⸻ Please, describe the criteria which are applied in selecting the people who are conscripted and/or mobilised.
⸻ Please, provide information about the existence or not of a legal framework protecting the right to conscientious objection to military service. If there is such a framework, please provide details. If there is not such a framework, please inform about any plan to introduce it.
⸻ Please, elaborate also on the protection of economic, social and cultural rights of conscientious objectors to military service.
⸻ Please, explain to what extent the State party has implemented the concluding observations of the Committee on enforced disappearance (CED/C/BFA/OAI/1, 15th March 2024, paras. 31—32) and the Human Rights Committee (CCPR/C/BFA/CO/2, 24 April 2025, paras. 36-37(c), 42-43(c)) concerning the Decree No. 2023—0475 and forced mobilisation and conscription.
⸻ Please, explain how the Decree No. 2023—0475 is implemented in a way that complies with the provisions of the Covenant, especially as far as it concerns the right of everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or accepts (art. 6), in conjunction with the right to freedom from discrimination (art. 2 (2)).
Click here to read the full submission ↷
»Connection e.V had previously reported on this country to the UN Human Rights Committee. You can read more about that previous report here.
It is worth noting that since then many of the dissidents forcibly conscripted in Burkina Faso and referred to in that report by Connection e.V. have been released, although forced conscription practice continues in the country.
The UN Human Rights Committee has been the main treaty body to engage on the right to conscientious objection to military service. Nevertheless, «Connection e.V.» started to engage with other treaty committees to better address also the consequences and related issues to the violation of the right to conscientious objection. In particular, at the CESCR, «Connection e.V.» presents in details violations related to the right to work and freedom from discriminations of conscientious objectors.
Keywords: ⇒ Burkina Faso ⇒ Conscientious Objection ⇒ Forced Recruitment