A Swiss citizen working on a U.S.-funded aid project has been arrested in Burkina Faso, according to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and a foreign official on Tuesday. The reasons behind the arrest remain unclear.
The FDFA acknowledged the arrest but provided no further details. Attempts to reach Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta for comment were unsuccessful.
Burkina Faso, a country located in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa, has seen two coups in recent years, leading to increasingly strained relations with Western nations. Just recently, Denmark announced the closure of its embassies in both Mali and Burkina Faso, following Mali’s expulsion of Sweden’s ambassador amid a diplomatic row.
According to a foreign official knowledgeable about Sahel matters, the Swiss national had been working as the chief of party for U.S.-based nonprofit Winrock International on a project in Niger and Burkina Faso. He was initially detained in Niger along with a British citizen, both of whom were later released. However, upon traveling to Burkina Faso, the Swiss citizen was arrested again.
Winrock International, which operates in Arkansas and Virginia, focuses on water security and resilience in both Burkina Faso and Niger. The organization has not responded to requests for comment.
Burkina Faso’s military government, which came to power in a 2022 coup, is currently engaged in a battle against a jihadist insurgency that has ravaged the Sahel region over the past 12 years. The worsening violence has contributed to multiple coups in the region, including in neighboring Mali and Niger since 2020. The junta in Burkina Faso faces accusations of suppressing dissent by detaining critics and urging citizens to report suspicious activity under the guise of national security.
