On October 8, 2025, Burkina Faso’s government announced that it had dismantled an alleged espionage network operating under the cover of the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), a Dutch-based humanitarian group, writes the BBC.
The authorities arrested eight INSO employees—four Burkinabe nationals, two French citizens, one Czech, and one Malian—on charges of espionage, treason, and illicit intelligence gathering.
Investigations reportedly found that the organisation collected details on military convoy routes, Defence and Security Forces (SDF) positions and movements, GPS coordinates of conflict zones and armed groups, as well as data on security incidents, attacks, casualties, and local events, according to RT and Reuters.
This information was reportedly shared with foreign intelligence services, including those linked to France.
INSO has denied the allegations, claiming the data was public and non-confidential, but the arrested individuals are set to face prosecution under Burkina Faso’s penal code.
This revelation comes amid ongoing tensions between Burkina Faso’s junta-led government and Western entities, with previous incidents including the expulsion of French diplomats and arrests of alleged French spies in 2024.
In Mali, two generals and a French national were arrested in August over alleged involvement in a coup plot. France confirmed that Vezilier was an embassy employee but denied that he was involved in an alleged attempt to overthrow the West African country’s military government, RT writes.
France has been accused of sponsoring terrorism in an attempt to undermine the military leadership in the Sahel after being thrown out.
Sources
- BBC: Burkina Faso junta detains NGO workers for ’spying’
- RT: African state uncovers ‘espionage network’
- Aljazeera: Burkina Faso’s military gov’t arrests European NGO workers for ‘spying’
- Reuters: Burkina Faso arrests eight NGO employees accused of espionage