Burkina Faso suspends broadcast of French radio RFI

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Burkina Faso’s military government on Saturday announced it has suspended the broadcast of France’s Radio France Internationale (RFI) with immediate effect.

A statement by government spokesman Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo accused the broadcaster of giving voice to “a message of intimidation to the population attributed to a terrorist leader.”

The accusation was in reference to a message broadcast by RFI on Saturday, in which the Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), or Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, an affiliate of the al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS terror groups, threatened civilian volunteers helping the government in anti-terrorism operations.

The government has decided to “immediately suspend until further notice, the broadcasting of Radio France Internationale programs throughout the national territory,” the statement said.

“This media (RFI) … contributes to a desperate maneuver of the terrorist groups to dissuade thousands of Burkinabe” working to protect the country’s integrity, it added.

Last month, authorities announced that a recruitment campaign for volunteers attracted more than 90,000 people.

The military said it intended to enlist 15,000 volunteers at the national level and another 35,000 at the community level.

The suspension of RFI comes amid growing anger in Burkina Faso against France.

Last month, protesters demanding the expulsion of the French ambassador attempted to storm the French Embassy in the capital Ouagadougou.

The protesters, mostly young men, accused France of being responsible for Burkina Faso’s problems, including the persistent insecurity.

The West African country has witnessed two coups this year.

In January, elected President Roch Marc Kabore was ousted after over seven years in power, followed by a second coup in September that saw soldiers led by Capt. Ibrahim Traore depose Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.