Niger authorities announced Thursday the month-long suspension of Radio France International (RFI) local broadcasts, saying the station was spreading lies about rebel Tuareg groups.The Superior Council for Communication accused RFI of "broadcasting lies and information which obscures the reality" of the activities of the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ). Council member Ousmane Toudou told AFP it was also accused of "broadcasting false information and of biased and partisan treatment of information".
RFI is widely listened to and broadcasts in French and, for the past few months, in Hausa, the most popular language in Niger. Last week, its management protested against a ban on sending one of its reporters to cover clashes between the army and the MNJ rebels, imposed by the authorities for "security reasons".
Meanwhile, RFI's Niamey correspondent Moussa Kaka told the Republican privately-owned weekly that the head of the army had threatened to kill him. General Moumouni Boureima reportedly made the threat at a reception hosted by the French ambassador in Niamey to mark the French national holiday on July 14.
| Moussa Kaka? We don't make these names up, honest. |
Local media groups issued a statement Sunday complaining about a crackdown on the media ever since the start of a new uprising by the MNJ in February.