Burkina Faso has withdrawn the licences of four foreign NGOs to operate in the junta-led country and suspended two other associations, according to decrees seen by AFP on Friday.

The decrees dated mid-June cited a government minister as saying the decision against the four NGOs was due to formality breaches.

Burkina’s military junta, which seized power in a September 2022 coup, has made the return of national sovereignty one of its priorities.

Authorities regularly repress dissent, notably within civil society and the media, claiming it as part of the battle against jihadist violence that has plagued the west African country for a decade.

There has been an upsurge in kidnappings and extrajudicial arrests, particularly of civilians considered hostile to the junta.

Diplomats accused of “subversive” activities have been expelled and several foreign media have been forced to close down.

The two foreign associations cited in last month’s decrees were suspended for three months, one of them accused of data breaches.

Burkina Faso has been caught up in a spiral of violence blamed on jihadists that has spilled over from neighbouring Mali and Niger and since spread beyond the three countries’ borders.