A selection of Elsa Buchanan’s reporting, photo essays and communications work, drawn from field assignments and collaborations across the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Covering conflict, human rights and humanitarian issues, the work combines on-the-ground reporting with specialist analysis.

Human Impact

Stories exploring how conflict shapes daily life, from displacement and education to livelihoods, environment, and long-term recovery.

Conflict & Security

Reporting on frontlines, weapons, and military dynamics, examining how conflict is fought and sustained in complex environments.

Accountability & Rights

Investigations and reporting examining violations, legal accountability, and the human rights dimensions of conflict and crisis.

Health & Humanitarian

Reporting on healthcare, humanitarian response, and the long-term impact of conflict on communities, from emergency care to recovery and resilience.

Accountability & Rights elsa buchanan Accountability & Rights elsa buchanan

Burundi: Catholic church youth group helps refugees 'hunted down' by police

Reporting from secret safe houses in Kigali, this exclusive investigation followed Burundian refugees who fled across the border after being targeted during the country's political crisis. Assisted by members of a Catholic youth network, those interviewed described a climate of fear, persecution and arbitrary violence as security forces intensified operations against perceived opponents of President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial third-term bid.

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Burundi: Torture victim 'forced to hang 5-litre jerry can from his testicles'

Content Warning: Torture. Reporting from Bujumbura during the height of Burundi's political crisis, this exclusive investigation documented allegations of torture committed against a young Burundian man accused of supporting the opposition. Through interviews with the survivor, medical and psychological professionals, and human rights defenders, the report examined the use of torture, fear and intimidation as violence escalated across the country following President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial third-term bid.

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Burundi: President satisfied by election results but would have liked to do better, says Presidential adviser

In an exclusive interview in Bujumbura, a senior presidential adviser and spokesperson for President Pierre Nkurunziza defended the government's handling of Burundi's disputed 2015 election and mounting political crisis. Conducted as allegations of abuses by security forces and the ruling party's Imbonerakure youth wing intensified, the interview offered a rare opportunity to question one of the government's most influential voices during a pivotal moment in the country's descent into violence.

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Burundi genocide fear: Government youth militia Imbonerakure threatens to kill Tutsi refugees

Reporting during the early stages of Burundi's political crisis, this exclusive investigation documented testimonies from refugees who said they had fled threats, intimidation and violence linked to the ruling party's Imbonerakure youth wing. Through interviews with displaced Burundians and regional observers, the report examined growing fears that political unrest was taking on an increasingly dangerous ethnic dimension, raising alarm among communities still haunted by the legacy of mass violence in the Great Lakes region.

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Burundi press freedom: Terrified local journalists claim to be on a government hit-list

As Burundi's political crisis intensified, this exclusive investigation documented the fears of local journalists who believed they had been targeted because of their reporting. Through interviews with media workers operating under increasing pressure, the story examined threats, intimidation and the collapse of press freedom as independent journalists faced growing risks while attempting to cover one of the country's most dangerous periods of political unrest.

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CAR: UN 'covered up' rape of African boys by French peacekeepers, alleges aid worker

Amid allegations of sexual abuse against children by foreign peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, this investigation explores claims of institutional failures, cover-ups and the obstacles facing victims seeking justice. The report examines broader concerns over accountability within international peacekeeping and humanitarian systems, and the consequences for civilian trust in organisations tasked with protecting vulnerable communities.

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