The military authorities of Burkina Faso have taken a decisive step to suspend the distribution of ‘Jeune Afrique,’ a publication available both online and in print. Their reasoning behind this action is the accusation that the publication has been actively engaged in attempts to discredit the armed forces of Burkina Faso.
The ruling transitional government has made the decision to halt all media distribution related to Jeune Afrique within Burkina Faso. This suspension took effect on Monday, September 25, and will remain in place until further notice, as conveyed in an official statement.
The government’s decision was primarily influenced by a recent article titled ‘Tensions Persist in Burkina Faso Army,’ which was published by Jeune Afrique on Monday. The statement goes on to mention another article from the same publication, which had been released on the preceding Thursday. In this earlier article, Jeune Afrique alleged that ‘Discontent Is Growing in Burkina Faso Barracks.’
The government statement vehemently rejects these claims, citing a lack of concrete evidence to substantiate such serious allegations. According to the statement, these assertions appear to serve no purpose other than tarnishing the reputation of the national armed forces and, by extension, all military units in an utterly unacceptable manner.
This decision comes nearly a year after Captain Ibrahim Traore assumed power in a coup, marking Burkina Faso’s second coup in just eight months. Additionally, in June, the authorities in Burkina Faso suspended the French television channel LCI for a period of three months. This decision followed the expulsion of correspondents from the French dailies Liberation and Le Monde back in April. Furthermore, in late March, they also ordered the suspension of the television channel France 24.
Founded in 1960 and based in France, Jeune Afrique is a website and monthly magazine with several correspondents and contributors in Africa and elsewhere.