Burkina Faso’s military-led government has shelved one of the country’s well-known radio stations after it aired an interview deemed “disparaging” to Niger’s new military leaders.
Radio Omega was immediately put on hold on Thursday, August 10, until further notice, according to Communications Minister, Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo in a statement.
Ouedraogo had said that the decision was in the higher interests of the Nation.
The radio broadcast station is a part of the Omega media group owned by journalist and ex-foreign minister, Alpha Barry. It had stopped broadcasting after the statement was issued late Thursday.
The radio channel had aired an interview with Ousmane Abdoul Moumouni, the spokes representative of a newly-established Nigerien group, advocating for the return of President Mohamed Bazoum to power.
It was said that Moumouni made disparaging comments about the new Nigerien authorities.
Meanwhile, Radio Omega had on Friday, August 11, announced that it would turn to “every means available to fight the suspension.
The decision to suspend the radio station is a flagrant violation of the present laws and an unacceptable attack on freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” Barry had said.
Barry had also alleged that the suspension had come after the radio station had received countless death threats made against the station’s managers and journalists from individuals tagging themselves as supporters of the government.
Burkina Faso had experienced two military coups in 2022, each one prompted in part — as seen in Mali and Niger — by dissatisfaction at the government’s inability to control a raging jihadist insurgency.
The Burkina Faso junta had immediately declared its support for Niger’s new leaders and joined Mali in cautioning that any military intervention to restore Bazoum as Niger’s President would be considered a declaration of war against them too.
The Burkinabe authorities have in recent months, suspended the French TVOU outlets LCI, France24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI) as well as expelling the correspondents of the French newspapers Liberation and Le Monde from the country.
