Censorship is accepted.
The tone of the press release, lapidary.
On Wednesday, the transitional government in Mali announced the suspension of France 24 and RFI.
The two French audiovisual channels would be nothing less than the “
radio Mille Collines
” Malian version, an allusion to this Rwandan station which preached on the air the genocide of the Hutus against the Tutsis.
Their wrong?
Having relayed a report by the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), as well as various testimonies, accusing the Malian soldiers of abuses, in particular about thirty people "
sprayed with gasoline and burned alive
" on March 3.
“
Disinformation
”, objected the army, indicating that its units “
could not be responsible for such abjection
”.
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Increasingly isolated on the international scene with the departure of European partners and ECOWAS sanctions, the authorities have also alerted the Malian media: any "
rebroadcasting and/or publication of programs and press articles
" of these two channels.
“
Journalists present in Mali are now warned
,” reacted the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
"
Subjects that anger the military in power will lead to threats, expulsions or suspensions
."
Discomfort in Bamako
On the French side, of course, the Quai d'Orsay, then the Head of State, condemned "
with the greatest firmness
", and without surprise.
In Mali, far from causing an outcry, the decision received a cold reception.
The releases from the two press umbrella organizations simply took note.
Some then retorted: who is France to cry out for censorship, after the suspension of RT and Sputnik?
The only one to express its reservations, the CNDH, the national body for the defense of human rights in Bamako, expressed concern about “
the fundamental right to information
”, of which “
populations should not be deprived
”.
For its part, the Maison de la Presse invited "
all national and foreign media to take more RESPONSIBILITY (sic)
", and to "
work to support the armed and security forces in the noble fight against terrorism
".
“
Brotherhood is not in
order”, squeaks a press figure in Bamako, who points to a decision “
clearly liberticidal and stupid
”.
This former editor-in-chief agreed to speak to
Le Figaro
on the strict condition of anonymity.
Because in the country of the junta, author of two successive coups, criticizing government decisions is not appropriate.
Among the interlocutors contacted by
Le Figaro
, all posed the same condition.
Caution requires.
“
It is a serious setback that we have observed in recent times, in the context of freedom of expression.
But people take it very coldly
,” said reporter Abdoulaye Cissé*, who works for one of the country's main daily newspapers.
"
We're worried
," another influential blogger in Bamako told us.
"
Are we the next spas that
".
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RFI, "breath of oxygen" for information
Two days later, this blogger is already seeing the consequences of censorship in the work of his teams.
“
RFI is a reference in terms of journalistic rigour.
Our fact-checking services relied heavily on the channel to verify information
.
”
A precious source that we will now have to do without.
“In remote regions of the capital like Gao, RFI represents a real breath of fresh air, thanks to synchronization with other local radio stations.
Those who are going to be deprived of information are those who are in these remote areas”.
Abdouaye Cissé*, reporter for a Malian daily
Especially since RFI and France 24, the leading international news channel in French-speaking Africa, attract extremely large audiences in Mali.
40% of the population and 70% of Malian executives and leaders listen to RFI every week.
To reach populations further away from the capital, France Médias Monde even launched several programs in local languages, Mandenkan and Fulfulde in 2019.
“
As soon as information spread, Malians went to RFI to check the veracity.
As long as it didn't appear there, it was considered fake
,” the blogger explains.
Abdoulaye Cissé also confides his concern to
Le Figaro
.
"
Today in remote regions of the capital such as Gao, RFI represents a real breath of fresh air, thanks to synchronization with other local radio stations.
Those who will be deprived of information are our parents, those who are in these remote areas
”.
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The image of a "
rogue country
"
While silence is the order of the day in circles close to central power, a few voices are raised in the private sector.
Thus Tidiani Togola, a Malian entrepreneur who created a local organization to promote civic activities and good governance.
“
Our authorities would benefit from bringing the truth and the facts instead of arbitrary measures which undermine press freedom and a risk of general malaise in the media
”, he tackles on Twitter.
Or even Hamadoun Niangado, autoentrepreneur and blogger in his spare time, who has some 29,000 subscribers: “
Some will see in this decision (...) an opportunity for the local media to finally take the lead in the dissemination of information, (but it) will further tarnish the relative independence of these same local media
”.
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“
RFI has always held out its microphone to the authorities
,” another entrepreneur from Timbuktu, in the North
, explains to
Le Figaro .
"
If they want to ban it, maybe they have something to hide, and that bothers me
."
In the North, many have been offended in recent days by the deafening silence of the authorities after several attacks by jihadists in Tamalate, Inssinanane and Adaremboukare, where fighters from an armed group that signed the peace agreement, the MSA, and civilians have paid a heavy price.
But not a word from Bamako.
Is sanctioning the international media a way of diverting attention?
Some wonder, while on the same day, the price of fuel at the pump increased by 100 francs per litre, with strong consequences for the population.
"
I am flabbergasted by the silence in the reactions
," says the entrepreneur from Timbuktu.
“
We are governed by a group of men and women who, under cover of good intentions such as unity and independence, have decided to banish Mali from the international community.
We are almost comforted today in the idea of a rogue state.
After kicking out an ambassador, here comes the suspension of international media.
Honestly, it is worthy of the greatest dictatorships on the continent
,” he laments.
"
We may not agree with the editorial line of a press organization, but it is not by keeping it quiet, or by hiding it, that we are going to raise the morale of the troops
”.
*Name has been changed