The list of French channels suspended or banned in French-speaking African countries is growing. These sanctions are coming thick and fast, particularly in the Sahel countries.
Today, TV5 Monde has been suspended for three months by the Malian authorities.
The Malian High Authority for Communication (HAC) has criticized TV5 for reporting in its Afrique news program that at least 15 civilians had died in drone strikes in Tinzaouatène, without including the Malian army's version of events in its coverage.
"This suspension sanction also follows a warning issued by the HAC to TV5Monde on May 15, 2023, for similar breaches," the regulator also stated in its press release.
In a statement, TV5Monde said it "regrets this situation and in particular that it was not consulted by the regulator" to provide explanations. The channel also explained that at the time the information was broadcast, the Malian army had not yet given its version of events. The army's version was communicated by the channel in a brief dated August 26.
The colonels who overthrew civilian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in 2020 broke their longstanding alliance with France and its European partners in 2022, turning militarily and politically toward Moscow.
Since then, Malian colonels have suspended the popular French media outlets France 24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI). France 2 was also suspended in early 2024, before LCI suffered the same fate at the end of August.
Correspondents from a number of foreign media outlets were forced to leave, go into exile, or remain silent because they were unable to work.
The NGO Reporters Without Borders "denounced" on X the suspension of TV5 Monde, which it said "illustrates the ostracism of international media" in Mali.