OUAGADOUGOU - Burkina Faso’s military government is imposing increasingly authoritarian measures amid fears that its control of the country is under threat after a series of jihadist attacks.

The insurgent attacks in March, June, and August have exposed the vulnerability of the administration led by Ibrahim Traoré, a 36-year-old officer who seized power in a coup around two years ago. In the last year, the ruling junta has also said it has “thwarted” at least two attempted coups.

Scores of security officers have been arrested in recent months, often by unidentified armed men, according to the friends and relatives of those taken, and local non-governmental organizations. The arrests are only confirmed when people have reappeared months later in military courts on sedition or terrorism charges.

Civilians who have displeased the regime, including judges and journalists, have been forcibly drafted into front-line combat. Those drafted include the popular radio journalist Alain Traoré, known to his audience as Alain Alain, who was reported “killed in action” on August 17.

The administration’s attempt to assert its authority has also affected its approach to diplomacy. Relations both with France and the neighboring nation of Côte d’Ivoire, both of which have been accused of fomenting subversion, have been strained almost to breaking point. French diplomats were expelled in April after being accused of taking part in “subversive activities.”