Mali’s ruling military junta has begun a process to suspend broadcasts by French state-funded RFI radio and France 24 television because they report “false allegations” of abuse by the Malian army.
According to a statement published by the military junta on Thursday, the allegations were made by Michelle Bachelet, head of the United Nations rights commission, and Human Rights Watch, a rights group.
Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that 71 civilians have been killed by Malian soldiers since early December.
Since August 2020, the Mali junta has staged two coups. The statement says that what it calls media hype is an attempt to destabilize the political transition, demoralize the Malian people, and discredit the Malian army.
On Thursday morning, both outlets were still broadcasting in Mali. There is no information provided about how the procedure will work or when broadcasts will be suspended by the junta.