Abidjan – Burkina Faso’s military government has halted a malaria eradication project backed by U.S. billionaire Bill Gates, which involved the release of genetically modified mosquitoes.

The initiative, known as Target Malaria and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aimed to combat malaria and other insect-borne diseases. However, authorities ordered the project to suspend “all activities,” according to a government communiqué released Friday.

Burkina Faso has been under military rule since September 2022, when Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a coup. Over the past months, the junta has tightened control over international organizations. In June and July, the government revoked the licenses of 21 NGOs, particularly those receiving international funding.

Target Malaria, a consortium of more than 150 African and Western researchers and institutions, is the latest to come under pressure as the administration asserts greater control over foreign-funded programs.

The suspension raises fresh questions about the future of malaria control efforts in Burkina Faso, a country where the disease remains a leading cause of death.