Overview
- The National Communication Observatory, which issued the order Friday, imposed an immediate suspension across TV, radio, websites and apps for nine French outlets.
- Officials said the outlets endangered public order and national unity and weakened troop morale, and they set no time limit or examples to justify the ban.
- Reporters Without Borders called the move abusive and described a coordinated effort by Sahel juntas to stifle press freedom.
- The action extends a crackdown that followed the 2023 coup, which had already taken RFI and France 24 off air and led to a BBC suspension in December 2024.
- The decision tracks a wider realignment by Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso away from France toward partners such as Russia, with Burkina Faso also halting TV5 Monde this week.