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Niger’s military government has banned many local and foreign journalists since seizing power in 2023.
The media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has criticized Niger for suspending 9 French media outlets as the military government continues its crackdown on journalists.
Niger announced the suspension on Friday, referring to “repeated transmissions that could seriously undermine peace, international cooperation, social cohesion, and the stability of the Republic’s institutions”.
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The suspended organizations are France 24, RFI (Radio France Internationale), France Afrique Media, LSI Africa, AFP (Agence France-Presse), TV5 Monde, TF1 Info, Jeune Afrique and Mediapart, according to a statement from the National Communication Observatory (ONC).
It added that the decision was “immediate” and included “satellite programming, cable, digital platforms, websites and mobile”.
RSF described the decision as “insulting”.
“RSF opposes the joint process of suppressing the freedom of the press within the AES (Alliance of Sahel States) and wants this cruel decision to be changed,” said a statement posted on X, referring to Niger and its partners Mali and Burkina Faso, both controlled by military governments.
Niger’s military seized power in July 2023, ousting the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum and imprisoning him.
The government has also targeted local and foreign media, especially those that oppose its policies, by banning or suspending their operations.
RFI and France 24 were suspended a few days after the attack, and Britain’s BBC was suspended in December 2024.
The scrutiny from French and foreign media comes as Niger’s military government has severed ties with former colonial power France, abandoning its Western allies.
In late 2023, Niger asked leaders in Paris to withdraw thousands of soldiers involved in missions against armed groups operating in Niger, neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.
The three countries of the AES achieved security cooperation with other countries, especially Russia.
All three have always criticized the “imperialism” of France, saying that they want to assert their “supremacy”. French television and other foreign channels were also suspended or banned by the governments in Bamako and Ouagadougou.
Local journalists have also been affected. Two Nigerien journalists, Gazali Abdou, a German journalist for Deutsche Welle, and Hassane Zada, the editor of a regional newspaper, were released this week after spending several months in prison.
In 2024, the leaders of the Niamey capital proposed a law that prohibits the digital transmission of “data that could disrupt public order”.
The United Nations said in November that 13 journalists were arrested in Niger and asked the government to release them. Local media said the six journalists were arrested on suspicion of “undermining national security” and “conspiracy against the government”.
According to AFP, Niger suspended nearly 3,000 local and foreign NGOs in 2025, accusing them of lack of transparency and of supporting “terrorists” and armed groups.
Niger has dropped 37 places in this year’s RSF World Press Freedom Index and is now ranked 120 out of 180 countries. RSF and Amnesty International have repeatedly reported on the “decline” of press freedom in Niger.
