Mali bans French channel for 2 months over 'open support for terrorism'

DOUALA, Cameroon

Mali's junta regime has banned French TV channel LCI for two months over comments on the security situation, according to official documents seen by Anadolu on Saturday.

The decision came in response to LCI's July 27 program titled "Wagner decimated in Mali: The hand of Kyiv," during which guest Michel Goya, a French military officer and marine corps colonel, made comments reproached by the Malian government.

"During this broadcast, several violations of legal and regulatory provisions were noted," the government reported in its decision, supported by the college of the Malian High Authority for Communication (HAC).

The authority criticized Goya for having made "disparaging remarks, gratuitous assertions and false accusations of exactions against the Malian armed forces and their Russian partners."

It added that the guest had also called for "open support for terrorism under the pretext of supporting Ukraine against Russia."

The decision will last for two months, according to the HAC.

France24, another French channel, was suspended in Mali for four months this February on similar charges. The Malian media regulator justified the decision by citing "serious breaches of ethics and professional conduct" as well as "apology for terrorism with the aim of demoralizing the military and the population."

In 2021, following a military coup in Mali, the new authorities expressed their dissatisfaction with France, accusing Paris of interference and negligence in managing the security crisis. The situation worsened with the arrival of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group in Mali, leading to a gradual withdrawal of French troops.

This diplomatic and military conflict thus saw a gradual breakdown in relations between the two nations, marked by public criticism, sanctions and significant changes in Mali's strategic alliances.