The French government condemns the suspension of France24 and RFI in Mali

Paris, Thursday, March 17, the French government accused the imminent arrival of the broadcast in Mali of Radio France International (RFI) and television France24, proclaimed by the transitional military government, which links the two channels as “fake” to the execution of civilians. In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry further denied the “unacceptable and irresponsible amalgamation” of the military regime, which encouraged the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 by comparing these two public French media to Mille Collins radio in the suspension announcement. “France reaffirms its continued and determined commitment to freedom of speech, freedom of expression and the protection of journalists and those who contribute to enriching public debates around the world,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. France Média Monde, a public group to which RFI and France24 belong, made progress in another statement that will study “everything goes” so that the decision of the Malian authorities is not formalized. The French public agency pointed out that a third of the Malian population follows these two media, and that there are nine correspondents in these two media. Reporter Sans Frontières (RSF) said in a statement that the case in which RFI and France24 condemned the regime had been documented and included in the Human Rights Watch report published on March 15. Arnaud Frost, the leader of Africa, criticized his suspension as punishing these media, but “it is also an attack on Mali and Malians.” The soldiers of the Bamako head of government reproached the two networks for “a premeditated strategy aimed at destabilizing the transition, reducing the morale of the Malian people and reducing the credibility of the courageous Malian army.” The transitional administration sanctioned by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) after failing in its commitment to hold elections last February has denied allegations of abuse. However, the French government said it was “concerned” by “these important independently documented claims,” referring to the execution of civilians by the army. The relationship between Paris and Bamako is tense. France, which has a major base in Mali to fight jihadism in the Sahel, announced in February that it had a military regime against the lack of cooperation and collusion with Russia, suspected of leaving the African country behind the dispatch of mercenaries from the Wagner company.Head ATC/AC/push