military government

Both have left since the junta took over, and the military government has hired Russian mercenaries to tackle the insecurity.

Although the military government has not given a reason for the expulsions, it has previously accused aid groups of breaking local laws and releasing misleading reports on famine conditions.

The military government has introduced laws punishing those who protest against the election with up to a decade in prison, and new cybercrime laws police the internet for communications that "disrupt unity".

Even at this week's summit, the grouping continued to urge the military government to stop the war and seek a peaceful solution - requests that the junta has ignored these last four years.

Burkina Faso's military government, which emerged from a September 2022 coup led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, has regularly been accused of repressing figures the junta considers hostile.