Guinea Joins Sahel Crackdown: France 24 Banned and Digitally Erased After Presenter Labels Elected President a “Putschist”

The country’s media regulator banned the French news channel from broadcasting anywhere in Guinea and ordered telecoms to block its websites, apps, and streams effective immediately.

The ban covers satellite, cable, mobile apps, websites, and social media. France 24’s license is revoked. All its journalists in the country lost their press credentials.

Why? On September 14 a presenter called President Mamadi Doumbouya a “putschist president.” The regulator warned the channel the next day and told it to take the clip down everywhere. France 24 admitted the mistake and said it would apologize. The regulator says the video was still online Thursday morning, so they banned the channel outright.

Doumbouya took power in a 2021 coup and won an election last December with no real opposition. Guinea has shut down other media before. France 24 has already been banned in #Mali, #Burkina Faso, and #Niger.

They also pulled the accreditation of a Jeune Afrique correspondent this week.
#Guinea #Mali #Niger #Burkinafaso