Sahel Juntas Intensify Crackdown on Journalists, IPI Warns

The International Press Institute (IPI) warns that military regimes in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are intensifying their crackdown on journalists. The report, published on March 26, details how these regimes are deploying cybercrime laws to arrest, harass, and jail journalists, particularly in response to security failures and human rights abuses.

Niger has emerged as a leading jailer of journalists, with severe detentions under broadly defined cybercrime provisions. The report documents a widespread media shutdown, with foreign and local outlets suspended or blocked, and regulatory bodies restructured to tighten state control.

Journalists such as Alfousseni Togo, Issiaka Tamboura, Youssou Traor, and Kassim Traor face prosecution and potential penalties of up to 10 years in prison. Additionally, there are reports of forced conscription of journalists critical of the military government.

The IPI emphasizes that the increasing repression is creating a vacuum of credible information, which is being filled by propaganda and disinformation from foreign actors, calling for urgent international action to halt these repressive measures.