Bold Move: Burkina Faso Suspends Gates-Backed Project Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Combat Malaria 1 -

In a decisive step toward strengthening local health sovereignty, Burkina Faso has suspended a genetically modified mosquito project backed by Gates Foundation.

The initiative, aimed at reducing malaria transmission through GMO mosquitoes, had been underway for several years in partnership with foreign research bodies. Authorities in Burkina Faso however, announced that the program would be halted as the country prioritizes indigenous solutions and greater oversight in public health interventions.

Target Malaria, whose researchers are working to create a species of mosquitoes that won’t transmit the disease, was ordered to stop its activities in the West African nation this week, Samuel Pare, chief official at the higher education and research ministry, said in a Friday statement.

The program released its first swarm of genetically modified male mosquitoes in 2019 in Bana, a village of about 1,000 people in western Burkina Faso. Since then, researchers have deployed GMO mosquitoes at additional sites, with the latest taking place just days before the project was ordered to halt, according to a statement on Target Malaria’s website.

Burkina Faso Halts Project

“All samples will be destroyed according to a strict protocol,” Pare said in the statement.

The Gates Foundation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment when contacted.

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Anti-Western sentiment has gained traction in Burkina Faso since a 2022 coup in which its leader, Ibrahim Traore, severed security ties with traditional allies such as the US and France and moved closer to Russia and Iran. The World Health Organization says 95% of all malaria deaths globally occur in Africa.

Domestic campaigns have accused Target Malaria researchers of exacerbating the spread of the disease. French-Togolese activist Egountchi Behanzin, who often posts pro-Russian messages online, said on X that the suspension of the project “financed by Bill Gates and the US Army” was a victory.

A Burkinabe association called Coalition pour la Souveraineté Sanitaire, or Coalition for Health Sovereignty and led by pro-Russian activist and blogger Nestor Poodasse, has labeled the initiative as a “hazardous and irresponsible” use of scientific research to exercise population control in Africa.