Mali Junta Suspends Two French TV Channels Over ‘False’ Reports on Fuel Blockade

Mali’s ruling junta has suspended two French television channels, TF1 and LCI, accusing them of broadcasting unverified and false information about a fuel blockade imposed by the al-Qaida-linked armed group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

The suspension, announced in a letter issued by Mali’s High Authority for Communication and addressed to broadcast distributors on Nov. 13, was made public on Friday. The regulator said the decision followed a Nov. 9 broadcast in which the channels allegedly made “unverified claims and falsehoods.”

According to the letter, the disputed claims included assertions that the junta had banned fuel sales, that the regions of Kayes and Nioro were “completely under blockade,” and that militants were close to “bringing down” the capital, Bamako. The authority ordered the two channels removed from broadcast packages “until further notice.”

JNIM, which has intensified its activities since September, has reportedly imposed a blockade on fuel entering Mali, contributing to severe shortages in the landlocked nation. Long queues have formed at petrol stations, and the crisis has deepened security concerns. Several Western embassies, including those of the United States and France, have advised their citizens to leave the country due to the deteriorating situation.

Mali, along with neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, is governed by a military junta that seized power in recent years, promising improved security across the Sahel. However, analysts say violence has escalated since the takeovers, with record numbers of attacks and rising civilian casualties linked to both jihadist groups and government forces.