The authorities of the Republic of Burkina Faso announced on Monday the suspension of access to several online news sites belonging to foreign media in the country, due to "spreading misleading information to tarnish the reputation of the Burkinabe army." The High Council for Communications in Burkina Faso stated in a press release: "The Communications Committee temporarily suspends the broadcast of programs on (TV5 Monde) for 15 days, and has decided to suspend access to the sites of (TV5 Monde), (Deutsche Welle), (West France), (Le Monde), (The Guardian), and the (Ecofin) agency until further notice."
The council noted that on Saturday, April 27, 2024, it observed that the mentioned sites broadcast articles and reports accusing the Burkinabe army of committing violations against civilians in the northern and northeastern parts of the country, following the publication of a report by the NGO "Human Rights Watch."
The statement added: "The council has monitored the content published by various media, noting categorical and biased statements that undermine the core principles of information handling, constituting misleading information that could lead to the tarnishing of the Burkinabe army's reputation." Additionally, it pointed out that "this manner of handling sensitive information, such as that related to the army, could potentially lead to disturbances in public order."
