Niger navy rulers droop BBC broadcasts

Niger’s navy authorities has suspended the BBC for 3 months, accusing it of broadcasting false data prone to destabilize social peace and demoralize troops preventing jihadists.

Niger’s Minister of Communication, Raliou Sidi Mohamed, introduced that the choice would take impact instantly.

BBC applications, together with in Hausa, essentially the most extensively spoken language in Niger, and French, are broadcast within the nation by native accomplice radio stations, reaching 2.4 million individuals within the nation this 12 months, i.e. roughly 17% of the grownup inhabitants.

Though BBC radio applications have been suspended, the web site isn’t blocked and radio stays out there on shortwave.

Niger’s authorities didn’t cite a selected broadcast to justify the suspension, however it follows BBC stories of jihadist assaults within the Tillabéri area on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 91 troopers and almost 50 civilians. .

The junta referred to as the stories “baseless assertions” and a “marketing campaign of drunkenness orchestrated by adversaries of the Nigerien individuals aimed toward undermining the morale of our troops and sowing division.”

The assaults have been reported by a number of sources, together with safety blogs, which mentioned the gunmen, believed to be allied with the Islamic State group, launched two simultaneous assaults within the village of Chatoumane.

In one in every of these assaults, the attackers allegedly disguised themselves as civilians and opened hearth on troopers patrolling the weekly market. Troopers couldn’t retaliate straight because of the danger of collateral injury.

A BBC spokesperson mentioned: “We stand by our journalism and can proceed to cowl the area with out concern or favor. »

French channels France24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI) have additionally been suspended in Niger because the military took energy in a coup in July 2023.

The junta is underneath strain for failing to curb militant assaults, one of many justifications for the impeachment of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023.

The federal government of Niger additionally introduced its intention to “file a grievance” in opposition to RFI for “incitement to genocide”.

He claimed that RFI was a propaganda mouthpiece for the previous French colonial energy.

RFI referred to as the grievance “extravagant and defamatory” and mentioned it was not primarily based on any proof.

Niger didn’t specify the place it plans to file a grievance in opposition to RFI.

West African neighbors Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have all skilled coups lately. All of those military-led governments have suspended overseas media in some unspecified time in the future since taking energy.

The BBC was additionally suspended by Burkina Faso attributable to its cover of a report accusing his army of massacres.

They face an insurgency made up of various jihadist teams working within the Sahel area of West Africa. Tillabéri is a very risky space, near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.

The Sahel area is taken into account the brand new world epicenter of the Islamic State group, whereas teams linked to Al-Qaeda additionally function within the area.

The three international locations formed an alliance to fight jihadists and French troops expelled, turning as a substitute to Russia and Turkey for his or her safety wants.

However the violence continued.