The French news publication Jeune Afrique was suspended on Monday by the military junta of Burkina Faso for publishing “untruthful” articles about stress and unhappiness in the nation’s armed forces, the statement stated.
The suspension of Jeune Afrique is the most recent escalation in a campaign against French media since the West African nation was placed under military administration last year.
In response to two pieces that were published over the previous four days, the publication was charged of trying to undermine the armed forces and with using misinformation to “spread chaos” throughout the nation.
An email requesting comment from Jeune Afrique did not receive a response right away.
Since worries over the worsening insecurity caused by a jihadist insurgency led to two military takeovers last year, relations between Burkina Faso and its former colonizer France have deteriorated.
The French ambassador to the nation received an expulsion order as a result of these tensions, which also sparked a backlash against foreign media.
French-funded media outlets Radio France Internationale and France24 have already been suspended by the junta for allegedly giving voice to Islamist terrorists mounting an uprising across the Sahel region south of the Sahara. The allegations were refuted by both media.
A report about the insurgency that aired on the French television station La Chaine Info of the private broadcaster TF1 was deemed to have “lacked objectivity” and was consequently suspended for three months in June. At the time, TF1 declined to comment.
Two French journalists who worked for the publications Le Monde and Liberation were banished from the nation in April.
The two journalists, according to Liberation, were of “perfect integrity” and had all of their paperwork in order, thus the suspension was uncalled for.
