Héloïse Goy, with Alexis Patri
Temporarily suspended by the Malian junta last March, the French media RFI and France 24 are permanently banned from the country. The High Authority for Communication of Mali made a decision to this effect on Wednesday evening. A decision contested by France Médias Monde, the parent company of the two media.
Their suspension was temporary. It is now final. Mali’s High Authority for Communication released a decision on Wednesday that permanently suspends RFI and France 24 media in the country. The France 24 TV channel and the RFI radio station were already no longer broadcast in Mali, where they are widely followed, since March 17. According to the Malian junta in power, these two French media would have reported false allegations of abuses against civilians committed by the army.
Mirror sites to circumvent the ban
In a press release published on Wednesday, France Médias Monde, the parent company of France 24 and RFI, strongly contested this decision. The company said it would use all other possible remedies in order to continue covering the news in Mali.
France Médias Monde vigorously contests the final decision to suspend @RFI and @FRANCE 24 to #Mali and will pursue all possible remedies pic.twitter.com/QWQLIcj8TI
– France Media World (@France_MM) April 27, 2022
For the moment, the social networks of these two media remain accessible in Mali. The group told AFP that France 24 and RFI would benefit, in partnership with Reporters Without Borders, from mirror websites via addresses that cannot be cut by the Malian authorities.