NIAMEY, Niger (AP) 鈥� An international advocacy group Saturday condemned ‘s suspension of nine French media outlets accused of 鈥渢hreatening public order and national security.鈥�
Reporters Without Borders called the charges 鈥渇abricated鈥� in a post on X. It condemned a 鈥渃oordinated strategy to repress press freedom鈥� and called for the decision鈥檚 reversal.
The National Observatory of Communication, the West African nation’s media regulatory authority, said in a statement late Friday that the suspension of France 24, RFI, France Afrique M茅dia, LSI Africa, AFP, TV5 Monde, TF1 Info, Jeune Afrique and Mediapart was necessary to 鈥減reserve peace, social cohesion and the stability of institutions.鈥�
It accused the affected outlets of 鈥渞epeatedly broadcasting content likely to seriously endanger public order鈥� and undermine the morale of defense and security forces operating in the region.
Niger, alongside neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, are ruled by military leaders who took power by force, pledging to provide more security to citizens.
Since seizing power, the juntas have cut ties with and other Western powers, created their own security alliance and turned to Russia for military support to fight extremist insurgencies.
The security situation in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has analysts say, with a record number of attacks by Islamic extremists.
In January, Islamic militants , killing four soldiers. Niger鈥檚 military ruler Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani accused the presidents of France, Benin and Ivory Coast of supporting the armed group behind the attack, without providing any evidence to support the claim.
Military leaders in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have also .
Niger鈥檚 media regulatory authority did not specify the duration of the suspensions or provide detailed examples of the content that prompted the action.
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