Burkina Faso’s government has stopped the Target Malaria project, a program funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that aimed to fight malaria by releasing genetically modified mosquitoes. Officials have ordered the immediate suspension of the work and the destruction of all related mosquito samples in the country.
The project began in 2019 and included controlled releases of male mosquitoes designed to reduce the species’ ability to reproduce and spread malaria. Earlier this month, researchers carried out another small release, which drew criticism from local groups.
Although the program had received approval from Burkina Faso’s biosafety and ethics agencies, civic groups and activists argued that the risks to the environment were unknown and that the project gave too much influence to foreign organizations. They called for safer, locally driven alternatives to tackle malaria.
President Ibrahim Traoré’s administration said the decision was made to protect the country’s people, its environment, and its sovereignty. The government added that it remains committed to fighting malaria, which kills thousands in Burkina Faso each year, but will focus on safer options such as mosquito nets, vaccines, drug treatments, and local scientific research.