Adama Bayala, a columnist for the privately-owned television station BF1, and Alain Traoré, editor-in-chief of Radio Omega's national languages bureau, better known by his nickname Alain Alain, returned to their homes at around 2am on 17 September.

According to RSF information, Adama Bayala and Alain Traoré are in good health and spirits, even if the first one is weakened. A ‘miracle’ according to one of their relatives, as the two journalists had been missing for nearly 14 months.

Adama Bayala and Alain Traoré were abducted on 28 June and 13 July 2024, respectively. Although the Ministry of Justice acknowledged that Adama Bayala had been forcibly conscripted in October 2024, the authorities have never said what happened to Alain Traoré, author of the satirical column “‘Le Défouloir”. However, the fact that he reappeared at the same time as Adama Bayala and a dozen other people forcibly conscripted into the army now leaves little room for doubt that he, too, was forced into the military.

Communication Minister Pingdwendé Gilbert Ouédraogo did not respond to RSF's requests for comment.

"RSF is relieved to learn of the long-awaited releases of Adama Bayala and Alain Traoré, almost two months after the liberation of Guezouma Sanogo and Phil Roland Zongo. The columnist and journalist spent nearly 14 months in the Burkinabe armed forces. These forced conscriptions may be legal under the general mobilisation decree, but they should never have been arbitrarily targeted at journalists who were simply doing their job. RSF now calls on the authorities to release Atiana Serge Oulon, the last journalist who was very probably forcibly conscripted.

With these releases, Atiana Serge Oulon, editor of the newspaper L'Événement, is now likely to be the last journalist still serving conscripted by the authorities. His release had been announced by several activists at the end of July, yet he has not yet been reunited with his family.

The releases of Adama Bayala and Alain Traoré come almost two months after the liberation of Guezouma Sanogo and Phil Roland Zongo, President of the Association of Journalists of Burkina Faso (AJB) and a journalist for the radio station Femina FM, respectively, who both reappeared on 21 July. Four days earlier, another member of the AJB, investigative journalist Boukari Ouoba, and a journalist from the private TV station BF1, Luc Pagbelguem, had also been reunited with their loved ones. A columnist for the same channel, Kalifara Séré, was released on the evening of 11 July, after more than a year of being forcibly conscripted.