Burkina Faso's military junta, which seized power in a September 2022 coup, revoked the authorisation of 21 NGOs working in the country in July, including Netherlands-based INSO.

"INSO welcomes the safe release of our colleagues, and appreciate the support that made this possible," the organisation said in a statement.

INSO clarified that its staff had been released at the end of October.

The eight members included a Frenchman, a French-Senegalese woman, a Czech man, a Malian and four Burkinabe nationals.

Burkinabe authorities had claimed INSO had collected and passed on sensitive security information about the country to foreign powers, and that its members continued to work covertly despite being banned.

INSO, which did not provide further details on the matter, provides security analyses for other humanitarian organisations.

"As a humanitarian organisation we remain committed to supporting humanitarian organisations delivery aid safely to all those in need," it said.

Burkinabe authorities often repress dissent, notably within civil society and the media, claiming it as part of the battle against jihadist violence that has plagued the country for a decade.

At the end of 2024, Burkina Faso's ally and neighbour Niger, ruled too by a military junta, had also revoked INSO's authorisation to operate on its territory.