Niger junta suspends 10 French media bodies
May 8, 2026 10:11 pm
General Abdourahamane Tiani (2nd L), the head of the military regime in Niger, greets the thousands of people who gathered at the largest stadium in Niamey for the launch of festivities marking the first anniversary of his coming to power after the July 26, 2023 coup that overthrew civilian president Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, 204. – Niger’s junta gathered thousands of people in the capital Niamey on Friday to celebrate the first anniversary of its coup. Dressed in clothes bearing photos of regime members, the crowd chanted the name of junta chief Abdourahamane Tiani. The stadium hosting the anniversary event was under high security, including armoured vehicles around the venue. (Photo by BOUREIMA HAMA / AFP)
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Junta-run Niger on Friday suspended some 10 media organisations from former colonial ruler France, saying they threatened public order.
A statement read on state TV listed France 24, RFI, France Afrique Media, LSI Africa, AFP, TV5 Monde, TF1 Info, Jeune Afrique and Mediapart among the bodies suspended.
Anti‑French sentiment runs high in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a renewed diplomatic battleground, with Russian and Chinese influence growing.
Once master of vast expanses of northern, central and western Africa, France has played a crucial role in the continent’s post‑colonial history, repeatedly intervening militarily since the early 1960s.
French forces deployed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger withdrew following successive coups, as the juntas in those countries drew closer to Russia.
AFP
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