Niger’s military-controlled regulator, the National Communication Observatory (ONC), has ordered the immediate suspension of nine France-based media organisations, in what press freedom groups are calling one of the most sweeping media crackdowns in recent African history. The affected outlets include some of the most recognisable names in international journalism: AFP news agency, France 24, Radio France Internationale (RFI), TV5Monde, the pan-African weekly Jeune Afrique, the investigative outlet Mediapart, TF1 Info, LSI Africa, and France Afrique Mu00e9dia.
The ONC issued its decision on May 8th, claiming the outlets had repeatedly disseminated content “likely to seriously undermine public order, national unity, social cohesion, and the stability of republican institutions.” The regulator’s president, Ibrahim Manzo Diallo, told the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that the suspension followed a review of coverage beginning April 25thu2014the same day armed groups launched coordinated attacks in neighbouring Mali that killed the country’s defence minister.
A Pattern of Media Repression
The Niger suspension is the latest move in a coordinated campaign to silence independent reporting across the Alliance of Sahel Statesu2014a grouping of military-ruled nations that also includes Mali and Burkina Faso. Since seizing power in coups dating back to 2023, these regimes have expelled French troops, turned to Russia for military support, and systematically shut down international and local media operations.
“This is cementing a wave of media repression unfolding across the Alliance of Sahel States,” said Moussa Ngom, CPJ’s Francophone Africa representative. He called on Niger’s authorities to “immediately allow the nine suspended outlets to reach audiences in the country.”
The suspended outlets had already been targeted before the ONC was established. RFI and France 24 were blocked in the aftermath of the 2023 coup. What is new is the formalised, institutional nature of the banu2014now wrapped in the language of regulatory compliance.
The Alliance of Sahel States Context
Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso formed the Alliance of Sahel States following successive coups, united by hostility toward Western influence and a shared struggle against al-Qaeda and Islamic State-linked insurgencies. The three nations have increasingly aligned their media policies, with Burkina Faso’s regulator also issuing a ban against TV5Monde on May 5th, citing “numerous violations of the law, ethics, and professional standards” in its coverage of anti-terrorism operations.
Separately, Niger was last year identified as one of the worst jailers of journalists in sub-Saharan Africau2014tied with Rwanda and Ethiopiau2014with five journalists behind bars as of December 2025. Four remain imprisoned, including Hamid Mahmoud, Ibro Chaibou, Oumarou Abou Kanu00e9, and Youssouf Su00e9riba.
On May 8th, Gazali Abdou Tasawa, a correspondent for German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle, was provisionally released after 105 days in detention. Proceedings against him are still ongoing.
International Condemnation
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged Niger to ditch what it called the “abusive” ban, saying the suspensions represent a serious blow to the public’s right to information. The European Union and multiple Western governments have also expressed concern, though with limited leverage over the military junta.
For Nigeriens, the practical consequences are immediate: state-funded France 24 and RFIu2014vital sources of independent news in a country where domestic media faces constant pressureu2014can no longer be accessed. Jeune Afrique and Mediapart, which provided investigative coverage of governance and human rights, are likewise cut off.
The ONC has given no timeline for when the suspensions might be lifted, with Diallo stating that it would depend on the outlets’ “commitment to journalism rather than propaganda.” Many observers see this as a permanent ban dressed up as a provisional measure.