Niger: Authorities Suspends BBC for “Fake News”
Leader of Niger Military Junta, Dec 2024 Photo: @aheartforafrica
December 13, 2024 Hour: 9:45 pm
Niger authorities have suspended BBC broadcasts for three months following the broadcaster’s report on an attack that allegedly killed over 90 soldiers and 40 civilians.
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The Nigerien government denies the attack occurred, claiming the BBC’s report is false and intended to destabilize the country.
A statement from Communications Minister Raliou Sidi Mohamed indicates that BBC transmissions were suspended immediately across all radio stations rebroadcasting its content. This affects popular BBC programs, including broadcasts in Hausa, Niger’s most widely spoken language. The suspension is to last three months. The BBC has not yet commented on the suspension.
Other broadcasters, such as Radio France Internationale (RFI), also reported on the alleged attack, citing a similar number of casualties. The Nigerien government announced it will file a complaint against RFI for “incitement to genocide” and spreading falsehoods.
Niger, along with Burkina Faso and Mali, has been facing a jihadist insurgency for over a decade. All three countries are currently ruled by military juntas with a clear rejection of Western hegemony.
This is exemplified by the expulsion of French troops from their territories, an effort to curb French influence in the Sahel, a region containing most of France’s former colonies.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: EFE-Africanews
