Niger: BBC banned for reports undermining “troops’ morale”
Niger has banned the BBC for three months over their coverage of a terrorist attack that allegedly killed over a hundred people including Nigerian soldiers and civilians, according to AP via AfricaNews.
The suspension was announced on December 12th by Niger authorities who said: “BBC broadcasts false information aimed at destabilizing social calm and undermining the troops’ morale.”
The BBC had reported that armed militias had killed more than 90 of Niger’s soldiers and more than 40 civilians in two villages near the Burkina Faso border on December 11th, and refused to comment on the suspension.
Niger authorities also said it would file a complaint against a French broadcaster Radio France International (RFI) that had also reported the attack, citing the same death toll, and claimed RFI’s coverage was “incitement to genocide”.
Since the military junta took control in July of 2023, the country has faced increasing attacks from militant groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and DAESH, with over 1,500 civilians and soldiers killed this year.
AP and AfricaNews
