Ouagadougou: The Patriotic Movement Le Faso d'Abord-Burkina Faso (MPFA-BF) condemned on Wednesday in Ouagadougou the report published by Human Rights Watch on the human rights situation in the country, seeing it as an attempt to instrumentalize it for the purposes of political and strategic destabilization.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the report, covering the period 2023-2025, was received "with indignation" by the MPFA-BF, which described its content as having "serious methodological shortcomings." The movement argued that the report resembles a "biased discursive construct" rather than a rigorous analysis of Burkina Faso's realities.

Hayouba Ouattara, president of the movement, stated during a press conference that the publication is part of a pattern aimed at delegitimizing African sovereignist dynamics, especially in the fight against terrorism. He argued that such reports weaken states engaged in existential struggles, rather than contributing constructively.

Mr. Ouattara highlighted the complex geopolitical environment in Burkina Faso, marked by interference and conflicting interests, and called for a "systemic, contextualized, and intellectually honest" analysis of human rights issues. He criticized the report's reliance on what he described as opaque sources and a lack of empirical grounding.

The MPFA-BF expressed support for the Defense and Security Forces (FDS) and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), commending their efforts to protect civilians and maintain territorial integrity, while denouncing attempts to demonize these actors in the fight against insecurity.

The movement warned against using human rights as political pressure tools serving external agendas, which it believes undermines the credibility of universal principles. It rejected the report's conclusions, viewing it as a disinformation campaign, and reaffirmed its commitment to sovereignty and self-determination.

Finally, the MPFA-BF called on African intellectuals and citizens' organizations to enhance the production of indigenous knowledge on the continent's realities, emphasizing that the defense of human rights is inseparable from the defense of sovereignty and dignity.