The High Authority for Communication (HAC) of Mali issued a decision on May 9, 2025, ordering the immediate removal of the TV5Monde channel from all audiovisual platforms in the country. This measure follows the airing of the Journal Afrique news program at 8:30 p.m. on May 3, 2025, presented by Salah Eddine Gakou. The HAC accuses the channel of “biased reporting” and “defamation of the armed and security forces.”
The channel broadcasted a report on a protest held on May 3 in Bamako against the repeal of the Political Parties Charter. “Only the views of political party leaders opposing the repeal of the Charter were aired, while the perspectives of the manager of the Palais de la Culture and the head of the security forces were ignored,” the HAC stated, calling the report “unbalanced” and “in violation of media regulations.”
It is worth noting that the broadcasts of France 24 and RFI were suspended in 2022 accused of airing hostile or biased content while La Chaine Info (LCI) was suspended for two months in 2024 accused of making “disparaging remarks, gratuitous assertions and false accusations of atrocities” against the “Malian armed forces and their Russian partners.”
Local outlets like Joliba TV have likewise faced suspensions or sanctions, reflecting an increasingly troubling trend for media pluralism and access to independent information.
The HAC cited repeated offenses by TV5Monde, noting that “the channel had already been warned in May 2023 and suspended for three months in September 2024” for similar violations. This time, the sanction is more severe: a “suspension until further notice,” in accordance with Article 41 of Decree No. 2016-0715/P-RM, which requires distributors to suspend any channel at the HAC’s order.
This string of sanctions against both foreign and Malian media outlets raises serious concerns about the state of freedom of expression in the country, where the media landscape is increasingly restricted.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is urging Malian authorities to ensure an open and pluralistic media environment, where independent information can circulate freely and without obstruction.
