BBC accused of plot to destabilise Niger

NIGER has suspended the operations of the British media company, BBC, owing to the suspicion that the company is trying to disrupt the country's peace.

Niger's government has suspended the UK-based broadcasting network, BBC, for three months, over its reporting of a terrorist attack that allegedly killed dozens of its soldiers and civilians.

"BBC broadcasts false information aimed at destabilizing social calm and undermining the troops' morale," said Raliou Sidi Mohamed, Niger's communications minister.

His statement was aimed at local radio stations that rebroadcast BBC content. He instructed that they cut off all content that traces back to BBC.

The British network on Wednesday reported that jihadists massacred 90 troops and up to 40 people in Chatoumane, located in the western Tera area bordering Burkina Faso and overflowing with armed rebels.

However, Niger, on the same day, denied the details of the report, calling the allegations of the massacre "baseless assertions" and a "campaign of intoxication," as seen on AP News.

This is hardly the first time Niger has had a running-in with foreign media.

Niger vs western influence

In September, Wassim Nasr, a France 24 journalist was served a lawsuit by the Alliance of the Sahel States (AES), which consists of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

They alleged that the journalist was culpable for instigating acts of terrorism by contacting terrorists who are currently causing severe insecurity problems in the West African sub-region.

These decisons to sanction Western media align with the AES's new political stance to expel as much Western influence as possible.

The nations that make up the AES in recent years have all been switched to military rule, after successful coups.

For Niger, a group of soldiers from the presidential guard announced the ousting of Bazoum, on the the 26th of July 2023.

The country has since been governed by the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, which is being commanded by the guard's commander, Abdourahamane Tiani.

However, on the 10th of August, Tiani issued an order establishing a transitional administration.

Additionally, Niger, alongside fellow AES countries, opted to form their regional coalition outside of ECOWAS, despite being a part of West Africa.

They did this noting that ECOWAS still had a strong affiliation with the West, which is counterproductive to what they are trying to achieve.