Niger’s military government has suspended the BBC for three months, accusing it of spreading fake news that could destabilize social peace and demoralize troops fighting jihadists.
Nigerien Communications Minister Raliou Sidi Mohamed announced that the decision would take effect immediately.
BBC programmes, including in Hausa, the most spoken language in Niger, and French, are broadcast in the country through local radio partners and reach 2.4 million people in the country this year – around 17% of the adult population.
Although BBC radio programs have been suspended, the website has not been blocked and the radio can still be heard on shortwave.
Niger’s government did not name a specific broadcast for the suspension, but it follows BBC reports of jihadist attacks in the Tillaberi region on Tuesday that reportedly killed 91 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians.
The junta called these reports “baseless claims” and a “campaign of intoxication, orchestrated by opponents of the Nigerien people, aimed at undermining the morale of our troops and sowing division.”
The attacks were reported by multiple sources, including security blogs, which said the gunmen, believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State group, launched two simultaneous attacks in the village of Chatoumane.
In one of the attacks, the attackers allegedly disguised themselves as civilians and opened fire on soldiers patrolling the weekly market. The soldiers could not return fire directly because of the risk of collateral damage.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We stand by our journalism and will continue to report on the region without fear or favor.”
French channels France24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI) have also been suspended in Niger since the army seized power in a coup in July 2023.
The junta is under pressure for its failure to curb militant attacks, one of the justifications for ousting democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.
The government of Niger also announced plans to “file a complaint” against RFI for “incitement to genocide.”
It alleged that RFI was a propaganda mouthpiece for former colonial power France.
RFI described the complaint as “extravagant and defamatory” and said it was not based on any evidence.
Niger did not say where it planned to file the complaint against RFI.
West African neighbors Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have all suffered coups in recent years. All of these military-led governments have suspended foreign media at some point since taking power.
The BBC was also suspended by Burkina Faso over its coverage of a report accusing the military of mass killings.
They are facing an insurgency made up of several jihadist groups active in the Sahel region of West Africa. Tillaberi is a particularly unstable area, close to the border with Mali and Burkina Faso.
The Sahel region is considered the new global epicenter of the Islamic State group, while groups linked to al-Qaeda are also active in the region.
The three countries have formed an alliance to fight jihadists and drive out French forces, turning to Russia and Turkey for their security needs.
But the violence has continued.
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[Getty Images/BBC]
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