On March 23, 2025, authorities in Burkina Faso took and conscripted Phil Roland Zongo, a member of the Burkinabe Journalists' Association (AJB) and reporter at the privately owned radio station Femina FM. On July 21, Zongo was released after nearly four months.
During a March 21 AJB meeting, Zongo had denounced the conscription in 2024 of journalists as part of a media crackdown by the military government, which took power in a 2022 coup.
On March 24, journalists Guézouma Sanogo and Boukari Ouoba, who had also spoken critically at the AJB meeting, and Luc Pagbelguem, who reported on it, were also taken and appeared to be conscripted. They were also released in July 2025.
On July 23, Zongo said in a Facebook statement that he had been "on the front lines fighting terrorists" in northwestern and eastern regions of the country. He also posted a photo of himself in military uniform with a gun.
Zongo said he had served in a mobile unit called "Ghost," made up of soldiers and a self-defense militia called Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), and had "played his part."
Authorities did not provide any information about Zongo's whereabouts, leaving other conscripts to confirm that he had joined the military, an AJB representative told CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals.
CPJ's September 2025 calls to request comment from the defense ministry went unanswered.