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Niger’s military government suspended the BBC for three months, accusing it of spreading fake news that could destabilize social peace and demoralize troops fighting jihadists.
Niger’s Minister of Communication, Raliou Sidi Mohamed, announced that the decision would take effect immediately.
BBC programs, 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 is not blocked and shortwave radio can still be accessed.
Niger’s government did not cite a specific broadcast for the suspension, but it comes after BBC reports of jihadist attacks in the Tillaberi region on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 91 soldiers and almost 50 civilians.
The junta called these reports “baseless claims” and a “campaign of poisoning orchestrated by adversaries 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 allies of the Islamic State group, launched two simultaneous attacks in the village of Chatoumane.
In one of the attacks, the attackers reportedly disguised themselves as civilians and opened fire on soldiers patrolling at the weekly market. Soldiers were unable to return fire directly due to 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 favour.”
French media outlets, France24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI), have also been suspended in Niger since the military seized power in a coup in July 2023.
The junta is under pressure for failing to curb militant attacks, one of its justifications for overthrowing democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.
The Niger government also announced plans to “file a complaint” against RFI for “incitement to genocide.”
He claimed 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 experienced coups in recent years. All of these military-led governments have suspended foreign media at some point since they took power.
Burkina Faso also suspended the BBC for its coverage of a report accusing his army of mass murder.
They face an insurgency made up of different jihadist groups operating throughout the Sahel region of West Africa. Tillaberi is a particularly volatile area, close to the borders 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 also operate in the region.
the three countries They have formed an alliance to fight jihadists and expelled French troops, turning instead to Russia and Türkiye for their security needs.
But the violence has continued.
