Abidjan, Ivory Coast – A prominent lawyer and political figure in Burkina Faso who was abducted over the weekend has been released, his entourage told AFP on Monday.
Hermann Yameogo, 77, “was freed last night and is now with his family,” a relative told AFP on Monday.
Another family member confirmed his release, adding that he “underwent interrogation before being allowed to return to his family.”
According to his entourage, Yameogo, who has health issues, was abducted at his home in the capital Ouagadougou by armed men in plainclothes, days after publishing a tract critical of the country’s leaders.
Yameogo is a son of Maurice Yameogo, the first president (1959-1966) of independent Burkina Faso, then called Upper Volta.
Burkina Faso has been ruled by a military regime headed by Captain Ibrahim Traore since he seized power following a coup in September 2022.
The junta has been accused of misusing a general mobilisation decree in the country’s fight against Islamic militants to suppress dissenting voices, forcibly conscripting critics to fight on the front line.
The military regime recently released eight people forcibly drafted, including journalists, civil society leaders and people close to politicians.
However, others have not been heard from, including dozens of military officers accused of “conspiracy” or “attempting to destabilise republican institutions.”
© Agence France-Presse
