Authorities dominated by the military in Mali have ordered the withdrawal of French television France 2 from all audiovisual packages for four months due to a subject on the security situation in the country, indicate official documents consulted by AFP on Thursday .
The High Authority for Communication criticizes the subject broadcast in January by France 2 in its evening news of engaging in
“an apology for terrorism”
by opposing
“the firepower of armed terrorist groups”
to that of the Malian armed forces.
She accuses France 2 of trying to
“justify”
retroactively by the seriousness of the current situation in Mali the presence until 2022 of the French anti-jihadist force Barkhane.
French forces withdrew in 2022 amid a serious deterioration in relations between Bamako and Paris after the double military coup of 2020 and 2021. The junta has since turned militarily and politically towards Russia.
The Authority accuses France 2 of not having reported any Malian official contradiction.
France 24 and RFI suspended
In her letter addressed to distributors, she speaks of
“serious breaches”
of journalistic ethics, aimed at
“demoralizing the troops and the population”
.
Contacted by AFP, the France Télévisions group did not react Thursday evening.
Malian colonels suspended the widely followed French media France 24 and Radio France Internationale in 2022.
Correspondents from a number of foreign media outlets have been forced to leave, go into exile or remain silent because they are unable to work.
Soldiers also seized power by force in 2022 and 2023 in Mali's neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, and took measures against the foreign press.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) wrote in a report in 2023 that the Sahel threatened to become
“the largest non-information zone in Africa”
.