Niger’s ruling junta has suspended the BBC for three months, accusing the broadcaster of disseminating false information regarding a reported extremist attack that allegedly left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead.
The announcement was made Thursday by Communications Minister Raliou Sidi Mohamed.
In letters addressed to local radio stations that rebroadcast BBC content, Mohamed claimed the BBC’s reporting was intended to destabilize the country and harm troop morale. He directed stations to halt BBC programming immediately.
“BBC broadcasts false information aimed at destabilizing social calm and undermining the troops’ morale,” Mohamed said.
The BBC declined to comment on the suspension.
The suspension follows the BBC Hausa service’s report on Wednesday, which claimed that over 90 Nigerien soldiers and more than 40 civilians were killed in two villages near the Burkina Faso border during an extremist attack. The French broadcaster Radio France Internationale (RFI) also reported on the incident, describing it as a jihadi attack and citing the same death toll.
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However, Nigerien authorities denied that such an attack occurred. In a statement broadcast on state television, officials rejected the reports and announced plans to file a complaint against RFI for “incitement to genocide.”
Niger, alongside neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, has been battling an insurgency led by jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State for over a decade. In recent years, military coups in all three nations have shifted the power dynamic, with juntas expelling French forces and seeking security assistance from Russia’s Wagner Group.
Despite these changes, analysts suggest that the security situation in the Sahel has worsened. A record number of attacks and civilian deaths have been attributed to both extremist groups and government forces since the juntas took power.
The suspension of the BBC is the latest in a series of media restrictions in the region. Niger’s junta previously banned French broadcasters France 24 and RFI in August 2023, a month after taking power in a coup.
Neighboring juntas have imposed similar restrictions. Earlier this year, Mali banned media coverage of political parties and associations, while Burkina Faso suspended the BBC and Voice of America over their reporting on alleged civilian massacres by government forces.
“Generally speaking, the three juntas censor the media as soon as the security situation in the country is addressed in an unpleasant manner or when abuses are revealed,” said Sadibou Marong, head of Reporters Without Borders’ sub-Saharan Africa office, in September.
Marong added that finding reliable and impartial information on government activities or the security situation in these countries has become “extremely complex.”
The BBC’s Hausa service is a critical source of information for Niger’s population, broadcasting through local radio partners in Hausa, the country’s most widely spoken language. The suspension underscores the growing tension between the ruling junta and international media outlets reporting on the deteriorating security and human rights situation in the region.
As the junta continues to assert control over information, observers warn that the crackdown on press freedom could further obscure the realities of the Sahel’s escalating crisis.
