By Omar Bah
The Government of Burkina Faso has suspended the operations of the French international broadcaster TV5MONDE. The global broadcaster has been off air in Burkina Faso for six months following allegations by authorities in the West African country that the channel was spreading disinformation.
The Superior Council of Communication (SCC) stated that the Paris-based channel was disseminating “malicious insinuations” and “disinformation” about the country’s transitional government.
In May 2024, a report by the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the army of retaliating against villagers who had aided armed Islamists by killing 223 civilians. Burkina Faso’s military government has denied these allegations. TV5MONDE’s coverage of the HRW report had previously resulted in a two-week suspension, and other broadcasters, such as the BBC and Voice of America, also faced suspensions.
