The Higher Council of Communication of Burkina Faso has temporarily suspended TV5MONDE, like several foreign media. The international French-speaking channel “is surprised and deplores” this decision.
Following the decision of the Higher Council of Communication of Burkina Faso of April 27, 2024, “TV5MONDE is surprised and deplores the temporary suspension of its programs in Burkina Faso as well as the suspension of access to its websites, without having been informed beforehand”declares the Information Department of the French-speaking channel in a press release dated April 29.
After the BBC and Voice of America, the Superior Council of Communication (CSC) suspended French-speaking television TV5MONDE for two weeks, as well as several foreign news sites “until further notice”, all accused of having broadcast a report accusing the army of killings.
As with these two media outlets, the CSC justifies the new suspensions by broadcasting the content of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report published Thursday and accusing the Burkinabè army, battling armed jihadist groups, of having “executed at least 223 civilians, including at least 56 children, in two villages on February 25.”
(Re)see Burkina Faso: the army accused of abuses by HRW
The CSC claims to have “detected in the contents published on these various media, peremptory and tendentious statements against the Burkinabè army, without any precaution”, which “constitutes disinformation likely to bring discredit to the Burkinabè army”.
In response, “TV5MONDE would like to point out that the information delivered by its editorial team was done according to the most rigorous journalistic rules and with the usual precautions. The authorities of Burkina Faso were able to express their point of view”, according to the channel’s press release.
(Re)read Human Rights Watch accuses the Burkinabè army of having “executed 223 civilians”, Ouagadougou rejects these accusations
