Mali's communications regulator has suspended French broadcasters TF1 and LCI, accusing them of airing "unverified claims and falsehoods" about a fuel blockade by the al‑Qaeda‑linked JNIM group. The HAC's November 13 letter cited three contested passages from a November 9 broadcast and ordered the channels removed from local TV packages. The blockade, in place since September, has caused fuel shortages and prompted some Western embassies to advise departures. The move arrives amid worsening Sahel security and shifting alliances between regional military governments and international partners.
Mali Suspends French Broadcasters TF1 and LCI Over Alleged False Reporting on Fuel Blockade
Mali's communications regulator has suspended French broadcasters TF1 and LCI, accusing them of airing "unverified claims and falsehoods" about a fuel blockade by the al‑Qaeda‑linked JNIM group. The HAC's November 13 letter cited three contested passages from a November 9 broadcast and ordered the channels removed from local TV packages. The blockade, in place since September, has caused fuel shortages and prompted some Western embassies to advise departures. The move arrives amid worsening Sahel security and shifting alliances between regional military governments and international partners.
09:14 AM, 11/15/2025Security
Mali suspends TF1 and LCI over alleged false reports on fuel blockade
Mali's media regulator, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), has suspended French broadcasters TF1 and LCI after accusing them of airing "unverified claims and falsehoods" about a fuel blockade imposed by the al‑Qaeda‑linked group Jama'at Nusrat al‑Islam wal‑Muslimin (JNIM).
In a letter dated November 13 and made public on Friday, the HAC informed image distributors that "LCI and TF1 television services have been removed from your packages until further notice," citing a November 9 broadcast it said contained three disputed assertions.
Disputed passages cited by the HAC:
"the junta has banned the sale of fuel"
"[the regions of] Kayes and Nioro are completely under blockade"
"the terrorists are now close to bringing down the capital [Bamako]"
A journalist for the AFP news agency reported the channels have been inaccessible in Mali since Thursday evening. TF1 and LCI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Since September, JNIM has enforced a blockade on fuel entering the landlocked country by sealing major highways used by tankers from neighbouring Senegal and the Ivory Coast. The blockade has caused widespread fuel shortages, long queues at petrol stations and additional strain on the country’s fragile security and humanitarian situation.
Several Western embassies, including those of the United States and France, have advised their citizens to leave Mali. The suspension comes amid a broader deterioration of security across the Sahel, where military-led governments in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — which seized power in recent years — continue to battle armed groups that control large rural areas and carry out attacks on army posts.
All three states have scaled back cooperation with former partners such as France, formed a bloc called the Alliance of Sahel States, and sought closer ties with Russia. Analysts and rights groups say the security environment has worsened since the coups, citing a record number of attacks and allegations of abuses by both armed groups and security forces.
The removal of TF1 and LCI from Mali’s TV packages underscores growing tensions between Sahel governments and international media over reporting on security and political developments.