The constitution states the country is a secular state, and both it and other laws provide for the right of individuals to choose and change their religion and to practice the religion of their choice. The government subsidized travel costs for Muslim Hajj pilgrims and allocated subsidies to the four main religious communities. In August the High Council of Communication (CSC) summoned and questioned executives from the Al Houda and Femina FM radio stations for content it stated was “undermining the principle of religious tolerance.” The government appointed representatives of the main religious communities to be part of the commission in charge of drafting a new constitution.
On January 15, gunmen armed with heavy weapons attacked a restaurant and two hotels in Ouagadougou, killing 30 and wounding more than 50. A counterattack by Burkinabe and international forces killed three attackers and freed 176 people who had been trapped in one of the hotels. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attacks, which they described in a statement as being targeted against the “enemies of religion.”
In July, in a land-related dispute between the Muslim community and the Siamou ethnic group in Orodara, young people looted and vandalized a Sunni mosque on the disputed land.
Embassy staff regularly discussed incidents affecting religious freedom with the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralization, and Internal Security, including the incident in Orodara. The U.S. embassy organized a roundtable on religious freedom in September to promote interfaith tolerance and dialogue. Embassy officers also met with religious leaders to promote religious freedom.