The US and the UK urged authorities in Burkina Faso to investigate massacres cited in a report by Human Rights Watch, which blamed the army.
Human Rights Watch said massacres took place in two villages during an army raid against armed Islamists.
The rights watchdog said the military randomly shot as they inspected houses, according to witnesses.
Burkinabe authorities slammed the report as “unfounded” and banned media who echoed it including the BBC.
“Free and independent media must be permitted to conduct investigations and good-faith reporting without fear of reprisals,” the US and the UK said in a joint statement.
In addition to the BBC, Burkina Faso banned TV5 Monde, DW, Le Monde, Ouest-France, The Guardian and APA news agency as well as Ecofin.
Since the army took power in 2023, Burkina Faso has given the west a cold-shoulder, sacking French troops and moving closer to Moscow as it fosters its alliance with other Russia-aligned and military ruled countries in the Sahel.