“We are deeply disappointed by the decision of the Mali media regulator to suspend Radio France International for good. [RFI] and France24, “said Michelle Bachelet, a spokeswoman for the UNHCR. “These suspensions are the latest in a series of actions that restrict freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Mali, and come at a time when more, not less, control is needed.” Mali’s military leaders first imposed the suspensions on March 16, accusing the two broadcasters of making false allegations about reports of human rights abuses by the military. On Wednesday, the Supreme Communication Authority announced that these temporary suspensions would be final. Journalists’ associations have denounced the rise in attacks and defamation campaigns against journalists over the past year, particularly against members of the French media. Foreign and local reporters covering Mali have blamed the deteriorating climate for media professionals in the country. “We have not had such a check before,” said a freelancer who contributed to the French media, who asked not to be named for security reasons. “The situation has worsened since tensions between France and Mali began to rise. “It’s a political issue.”
“Transparent cooling effect”
On Friday, the Committee to Protect Journalists also called on the authorities to reverse their decision to ban RFI and France 24. “The decision by the Mali authorities to consolidate these suspensions shows how committed they are to deny access to information to those in their country,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa Program Coordinator, in a statement. On February 6, French journalist Benjamin Roger, a reporter on a mission to Jeune Afrique, was arrested and deported within 24 hours of arriving in the Mali capital, Bamako. Authorities said the journalist had no press accreditation. A week earlier, they announced that it would be more difficult for media representatives to obtain a media license. “Press accreditation has rarely been requested so far,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement, “and its lack has not prevented journalists from working freely.” On April 8, Reporters Without Borders marked the one-year anniversary of the abduction of French journalist Olivier Dubois, a correspondent for the French publications Libération, Le Point and Jeune Afrique. On March 14, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), affiliated with Al Qaeda, a coalition of armed groups, released a video showing that it was still alive. French humanist Sophie Petronin was abducted in Gao in 2016 and released after four years. In 2013, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, two RFI journalists, were abducted and killed by gunmen in the Mali town of Kidal as they completed an interview with a Tuareg separatist leader. A member of the Mali Special Forces is guarding something in Mali [File: Florent Vergnes/AFP] Meanwhile, the UN has complained that such a situation motivates those reporters who are still inside the country to practice self-censorship. “The current climate is one that has a pervasive creepy effect on journalists and bloggers,” UN spokeswoman Ravina Samdasani told reporters on Friday. “Our office continues to document serious allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in many parts of the country, and we remain seriously concerned about steps to further shrink the already limited political space.” Tensions between Mali and France have escalated since a military coup led by Col. Assimi Goita on August 8, 2020, ousted French-backed President-elect Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. In June 2021, France, a former colonial power in the region, cut off joint military operations with Mali forces in anticipation of guarantees that civilians would return to power. French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he will begin a withdrawal of about 5,100 troops stationed in the area since 2013 as part of Operation Barkhane, which spans five countries in the Sahel – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. In response to the military takeover of Mali, the regional bloc of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union suspended Mali from their organizations and threatened sanctions. In January, Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga accused France of promoting insecurity and division in the country and expelled its ambassador. According to Reporters Without Borders, Mali ranks 99th out of 180 countries in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index.
