Mali’s military-led government has suspended broadcasting by French private news channel LCI on its territory for two months, alleging “false accusations” were made on air against the army and its Russian allies, reports RFI.
“The services of LCI television are withdrawn from the bundles of all distributors of radio or television broadcasting services authorised in Mali for a period of two months” from 23 August, Mali’s media regulator (HAC) said in a statement on Saturday.
The communications authority said the programme, broadcast on 27 July, contained “disparaging remarks, gratuitous assertions and false accusations of exactions against the Malian armed forces and their Russian partners”.
At the moment, Mali is fighting with Russian help both a jihadist insurgency and a separatist struggle in the north. In 2022, the junta broke away from its long-standing alliance with former colonial ruler France, and began forging closer ties with Russia, with troops from the infamous Wagner mercenary corps deployed to the country.
Media have also come under pressure in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, also ruled by military leaders who came to power in coups.
Burkina Faso suspended LCI in June 2023 after a journalist’s comments on the jihadist violence-linked security situation were described as “false information”.
