Burkina Faso halts Bill Gates–backed genetically modified Mosquito program

Burkina Faso’s military government has suspended the Target Malaria program, a Bill Gates–funded initiative that sought to combat malaria through the release of genetically modified mosquitoes. Authorities also ordered the destruction of all related samples, citing ethical, ecological, and sovereignty concerns.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research directed Target Malaria—the international NGO spearheading the project—to cease all activities in the country immediately.

“All samples will be destroyed according to a strict protocol,” said Samuel Paré, the ministry’s chief official.

The move reflects the junta’s increasingly hard stance on foreign-backed NGOs, which it accuses of undermining national interests.

Launched in Burkina Faso in 2019, Target Malaria conducted its first field trial in the rural village of Bana, home to about 1,000 people in the country’s west. Researchers released genetically engineered male mosquitoes designed to pass on traits that reduce the population of female Anopheles mosquitoes—the primary carriers of malaria.

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The long-term goal was to significantly cut malaria transmission across Africa, where the disease kills hundreds of thousands annually. More recently, additional swarms of modified mosquitoes were released in other parts of the country, only days before the government’s abrupt suspension.

Target Malaria, which has partnerships in Burkina Faso, Mali, Uganda, and conducts complementary studies in Ghana, is one of the world’s most advanced projects exploring gene drive technology—a controversial method of altering entire species by spreading self-replicating genetic traits.

Critics argue that deliberately altering or eliminating a mosquito species poses serious ecological and moral risks.

“This technology is highly controversial and poses ethical challenges. We are saying that we should prioritize safe alternatives,” said Ali Tapsoba, spokesperson for a coalition opposed to the program.

Activists fear unintended consequences on ecosystems, food chains, and biodiversity, warning that the irreversible nature of gene drives makes them too dangerous to deploy in open environments.

The suspension has also taken on a political dimension. Egountchi Behanzin, a French-Togolese activist known for his pro-Russian commentary, hailed the decision as a “victory,” claiming on X (formerly Twitter) that the program was “financed by Bill Gates and the US Army.”

The government’s order coincides with a broader crackdown on Western-linked NGOs, part of the junta’s pivot toward greater self-reliance and closer ties with non-Western partners.

While some scientists view Target Malaria as a groundbreaking solution to one of Africa’s deadliest diseases, opponents caution against turning entire populations into a “testing ground” for high-risk biotechnology.

As Burkina Faso closes its doors on the project, the decision is expected to intensify global debate over the future of gene drive research and the ethical boundaries of using genetically modified organisms to fight public health crises.