Mali's communication authority has suspended French broadcasters TF1 and LCI after a Nov. 9 broadcast that the regulator said contained "unverified claims" about a fuel blockade by the al‑Qaeda‑linked JNIM. A Nov. 13 HAC letter ordered both channels removed from local distribution until further notice, citing three disputed statements about fuel sales, blockaded regions and threats to Bamako. The suspension comes amid fuel shortages, embassy evacuation advisories and growing instability in the Sahel following recent military takeovers.
Mali Suspends French Channels TF1 and LCI Over Disputed Reports on Fuel Blockade
Mali's communication authority has suspended French broadcasters TF1 and LCI after a Nov. 9 broadcast that the regulator said contained "unverified claims" about a fuel blockade by the al‑Qaeda‑linked JNIM. A Nov. 13 HAC letter ordered both channels removed from local distribution until further notice, citing three disputed statements about fuel sales, blockaded regions and threats to Bamako. The suspension comes amid fuel shortages, embassy evacuation advisories and growing instability in the Sahel following recent military takeovers.
02:27 PM, 11/15/2025Politics
Malian regulator removes TF1 and LCI from local packages after contested broadcast
Mali's media regulator, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), has ordered the suspension of French television channels TF1 and LCI from distribution in Mali, saying a Nov. 9 broadcast contained "unverified claims and falsehoods" about a fuel blockade enforced by an armed group linked to al‑Qaeda.
The HAC's letter to image distributors, dated Nov. 13 and made public on Friday, instructed:
"LCI and TF1 television services have been removed from your packages until further notice."
The regulator specifically disputed three claims reported in the broadcast: that the junta had banned the sale of fuel; that the Kayes and Nioro regions were completely under blockade; and that "the terrorists are now close to bringing down the capital," Bamako. Journalists with AFP reported the channels have been inaccessible in Mali since Thursday evening.
Context: blockade, shortages and wider instability
Since September, Jama'at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM), an al‑Qaeda‑linked group active mainly in Mali, has enforced a blockade on fuel deliveries by sealing major highways used by tankers coming from neighbouring Senegal and the Ivory Coast. The blockade has contributed to widespread shortages, long queues at petrol stations and further strained the country's fragile security situation.
Several Western embassies — including those of the United States and France — have advised their citizens to leave Mali amid the deteriorating environment.
Regional and political backdrop
Mali, alongside Niger and Burkina Faso, is governed by military leaders who seized power in recent years. While the juntas promised improved security, analysts say the Sahel has seen an uptick in attacks and civilian casualties involving both armed groups and state forces. The three countries have withdrawn from some regional organisations and formed the Alliance of Sahel States, while also recalibrating defence relationships away from some Western partners toward new ties, including with Russia. For example, Niger recently nationalised a uranium mine formerly operated by the French firm Orano.
Human Rights Watch and other organisations have accused armed groups, national militaries and some partner forces of possible atrocities, underscoring the complex and volatile security landscape in which the media dispute has unfolded.
What happens next: The HAC has left the suspension in place "until further notice." TF1 and LCI, both part of the TF1 group (with LCI as TF1's 24‑hour news channel), have not announced an immediate response to the HAC's decision in Mali.