Burkina Faso's military leader Ibrahim Traore is escorted by soldiers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso October 2, 2022. VINCENT BADO / REUTERS
Military-led Burkina Faso has banned French television channel TV5Monde, accusing it of "disinformation" over its coverage of jihadist violence in the country and neighboring Mali, the media regulatory authority announced Tuesday, May 5. Since Captain Ibrahim Traoré came to power in a coup in September 2022, several foreign media outlets have been suspended or banned in Burkina Faso.
TV5Monde has already faced suspensions on two previous occasions, in April and June 2024. The High Council for Communication made its latest decision on Tuesday, banning the broadcasting of programs by TV5Monde in the west African nation.
It followed "the observation of numerous breaches of the law, ethics and professional conduct in the handling of topics related to the fight against terrorism" in Burkina and relating to attacks late last month in Mali, council head Wendingoudi Louis Modeste Ouedraogo said in the statement. "The offenses committed, which involve disinformation and the glorification of terrorism, were identified in several editions of the television news, from April to May 2026," he said.
