Mali’s military regime has suspended French TV channel LCI for two months following remarks about the country’s security situation, as per official documents obtained by Anadolu on Saturday.
The decision was triggered by LCI’s July 27 broadcast, “Wagner Decimated in Mali: The Hand of Kyiv,” during which guest Michel Goya, a French military officer and colonel, made statements criticised by the Malian government.
The Malian government stated that “several violations of legal and regulatory provisions were noted” during the broadcast, as confirmed by the Malian High Authority for Communication (HAC).
The authority condemned Goya’s “disparaging remarks, gratuitous assertions and false accusations of exactions against the Malian armed forces and their Russian partners.”
It also claimed the guest called for “open support for terrorism under the pretext of supporting Ukraine against Russia”.
The two-month ban on LCI follows a similar suspension of the French channel France24, which was halted for four months in February due to accusations of “serious breaches of ethics” and promoting “terrorism with the intent of demoralising the military and public.”
Mali’s relations with France deteriorated after a 2021 military coup, with the new junta accusing Paris of interference and mishandling the security crisis.
Tensions escalated with the arrival of Russian Wagner mercenaries in Mali, leading to the withdrawal of French forces and a shift in Mali’s strategic partnerships.
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