Burkina Faso’s military government has ordered a stop to a project backed by Bill Gates. The program, called Target Malaria, used genetically modified mosquitoes to fight malaria. Officials announced on Friday that the group must halt all its activities. The government also ordered the destruction of all samples in the country.
The research began in Burkina Faso in 2019. It released its first swarm of modified male mosquitoes in a small village. The goal was to limit how often malaria-carrying female mosquitoes reproduce. Malaria kills hundreds of thousands of people in Africa each year. Just days before the government’s order, new batches of mutated mosquitoes were released.
The suspension is part of a larger crackdown. The government, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, is limiting foreign NGOs. Officials say Burkina Faso needs “locally developed, safer alternatives.” They argue against experimental technologies from abroad.
Critics had raised ethical concerns about the project. A spokesperson for a coalition against the plan, Ali Tapsoba, called the technology controversial. He said the effects on health and ecosystems are unknown and could be permanent. The project had received approval from several national agencies. Still, activists from civil society groups called it risky and opaque. They also suggested that modified strains from Europe raised questions of scientific neo-colonialism.
Target Malaria has said its work followed Burkina Faso’s laws. It has been active in the country since 2012. The group also said it has worked with national authorities and local people. For now, the decision is a big setback for this kind of genetic approach to fighting malaria.
