French Broadcasts Are Suspended in Mali Amid Tensions

France 24 and Radio France Internationale were taken off the air by the Mali authorities after the media outlets broadcast false accusations against the army.

As a result of months of increasing tensions between Mali and France, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the suspension has serious implications for foreign and Malian journalists alike.

As a result of an order from Mali's military government, RFI and France 24 were shut down Thursday evening.

The government alleged the outlets broadcast false allegations about the Malian army in order to "destabilize" it.

An alleged execution of a civilian and other alleged human rights abuses committed by Mali's army were reported by RFI earlier this week.

VOA also reported on the allegations, interviewing a man in central Mali who witnessed several acquaintances being taken away by the army and never returned.

In February, CPJ reported that foreign journalists in Mali were being denied accreditation, which has not been reinstated.

In an interview from New York, CPJ Africa Program director Angela Quintal said that the suspension of RFI and France 24 is "censorship pure and simple."

“What CPJ has asked and what we will call for, obviously, is that the Malian authorities should really halt their efforts to control journalism in the country, because that’s what it’s all about. And that they should reverse the suspension of RFI and France 24 immediately,” Quintal said.

Bandiougou Dante spoke to journalists from Bamako, the headquarters of Mali's Maison de la Presse (Press House).

The European Union's decision to suspend Russian media and the Mali government's decision to suspend French broadcasts were both discussed as evidence of a worldwide "worrying shift" away from democracy and free expression.

In his view, there was a possibility of finding ways and means of responding to certain criticisms or accusations in the media. Suspension, he believes, is an extreme measure.

Corinne Dufka said the suspension of the French broadcasts sends a message about human rights reporting and investigating. Human Rights Watch, which released its own report this week on alleged abuses committed by Mali's army, said the suspension of the French broadcasts sends a message about investigations into human rights abuses.

“We are concerned that it will lead to self-censorship within the Malian press, as well as a dampening of the national human rights community to fulfil their important mandate of investigating abuses by all sides,” Dufka said.

It is the first time, to the best of Dante's knowledge, that foreign media in Mali has been suspended.

RFI and France 24 are followed by approximately a third of Mali's population each week, according to France Medias Monde, the company that owns RFI, and France 24.