The government of Burkina Faso has voiced dissatisfaction over the delayed and informal manner in which it was informed about the death of Burkinabe cyberactivist Alain Christophe Traoré, also known as Alino Faso, who died by hanging in an Ivorian detention facility.
According to Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Jean Marie Traoré, neither the embassy nor the consulate in Côte d’Ivoire—nor the Foreign Ministry in Ouagadougou—were officially notified of the incident, which only became public 72 hours later through a brief statement by the Ivorian prosecutor, triggering outrage and confusion back home.
In response, Burkina Faso summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Ivorian embassy in Ouagadougou on July 28 to express concern over what it described as a lack of respect toward the deceased’s family and Burkinabe authorities.
The government is demanding a full investigation into the circumstances of the activist’s death, which remains officially classified as suicide, and has called for the repatriation of his remains.
Alino Faso had been in custody since January 2025 on espionage charges, and his sudden death on July 24 has raised many questions among the Burkinabe public.
