French newspaper journalists are expelled from Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has expelled journalists from two leading French newspapers, Sophie Douce of Le Monde and Agnès Faivre of Libération, in the latest move against France by the military junta. The expulsions follow the publication of a Libération investigation into a video which showed children being executed in military barracks. The two newspapers condemned the expulsions as a major setback for press freedom in the former French colony. Capt Ibrahim Traoré's regime is cracking down on French media, having earlier suspended broadcasts of two state-owed media outlets, France 24 and Radio France International (RFI). France 24 was suspended last month after the authorities accused it of being a "communications agency" of the militants by broadcasting an interview with the head of al-Qaeda's North Africa wing, Yezid Mebarek.

RFI was suspended after being accused of broadcasting false reports, which it denied. Burkina Faso was once a staunch ally of France, but the military regime is seen to be strengthening ties with Russia in a bid to defeat militant Islamists