Niger’s authorities have suspended the BBC for three months, accusing the broadcaster of spreading false information about an extremist attack that reportedly left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead.
The suspension, announced on Thursday by Communications Minister Raliou Sidi Mohamed, cites concerns about undermining troop morale and destabilising social order.
Mohamed instructed local radio stations that rebroadcast BBC content to halt programming immediately.
The BBC, which offers popular Hausa-language broadcasts in Niger through local partners, declined to comment.
The controversy arose after the BBC reported on Wednesday that gunmen had killed over 90 Nigerien soldiers and more than 40 civilians near the Burkina Faso border.
French broadcaster RFI (Radio France Internationale) also reported the incident, referring to it as a jihadi attack and citing similar casualty figures.
Niger’s government denied that the attack took place and announced plans to file a complaint against RFI for “incitement to genocide.” The region, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali, has struggled for over a decade with insurgencies linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
In recent years, during the fourteenth coups, these countries have expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenary groups for security support.
The suspension highlights ongoing tensions between Niger’s ruling junta, international media, and public perception of security threats in the region.
