press freedom under siege: arrests and censorship in Mali
the suspension of a popular radio call-in show and the arrests of journalists chahana takiou and abderhmane keïta in june underscore the severe repression facing media professionals in Mali. during nearly six years of transition under assimi goïta’s regime, press freedom has deteriorated drastically, with authorities weaponizing the justice system against independent journalism. reporters without borders warns of the worsening press freedom crisis in Mali, already strained by instability, and urges authorities to halt repressive measures to restore public access to reliable information.
june has been a particularly tough month for malian journalists. since june 19, listeners can no longer voice their concerns on “allo klédu,” a popular call-in radio show broadcast by the private station klédu. the high authority of communication (hac) suspended the program for two months, claiming that “several broadcasts violated audiovisual communication regulations.” a decision widely seen as unfounded and abusive.
just a day after the pan-african media forum in Bamako—an event celebrating press freedom from june 3 to 6—publication directors chahana takiou of the newspaper “22 septembre” and abderhmane keïta of “le témoin” were arrested. their detentions bring the total number of jailed journalists in Mali to three, all charged under the controversial cybercrime law. takiou faces accusations of “undermining state credibility through the judiciary,” while keïta is charged with “regionalist incitement threatening national unity and state credibility.” these latest crackdowns highlight the intensified repression of journalism in Mali, which has plummeted 22 places in five years on the rsf world press freedom index, dropping from 99th to 121st place.
“before general goïta’s coup, Mali boasted one of west africa’s strongest media traditions. yet over nearly six years, press freedom has eroded alongside growing instability. no outlet has been spared: international media suspended, local outlets silenced or forced into ‘patriotic reporting,’ journalists jailed, cybercrime laws misused, financial strangulation, and logistical hurdles. rsf calls on general goïta to end this crackdown on media professionals and free youssouf sissoko, chahana takiou, and abderhmane keïta.”
the arrests sparked strong criticism from media bodies like the maison de la presse, which condemned the justice system for failing to “create a climate of peace and understanding” despite past efforts to improve relations between journalists and authorities.
over the past five years, journalists have faced mounting pressure from both authorities and armed groups. the malian government has also pushed for “patriotic reporting,” using repressive laws and a compliant media regulator—the hac—to control narratives. the cybercrime law has become a key tool in silencing dissent, with journalists targeted for critical coverage.
journalists jailed under Mali’s cybercrime law
chahana takiou and abderhmane keïta—set to face trial on july 27 and august 17 respectively—are not the first victims of the cybercrime law. earlier, journalist youssouf sissoko, director of the newspaper “l’alternance,” was sentenced in march 2026 to two years in prison and fined one million cfa francs (€1,525) for publishing an opinion piece criticizing Niger’s military leader, general abdourahamane tiani. in november 2025, boubacar traoré, editor of “l’empire,” was detained on defamation charges after publishing an article on a land dispute involving a local oil company.
crackdown on international media, then local outlets
the suspension of rfm and France 24 in march 2022 marked the start of an open assault on international media. since then, four french outlets—tv5monde, France 2, tf1, and lci—have been banned in Mali. repression soon extended to local media: in 2025, three radio stations—aadar koïma in Gao, aadar koukia in ansongo, and radio kayira in kolondiéba—were suspended for three months for criticizing military conduct or airing anti-government views.
joliba tv news faced similar repression. in 2024, the hac suspended the channel for six months following a complaint from Burkina Faso’s media regulator, aligning with the Sahel alliance’s (Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso) push for coordinated narratives. after financial asphyxiation, the station resumed broadcasts on june 30, 2025.
self-censorship thrives under repression
years of pressure have fueled self-censorship. a 2023 rsf report, “in the skin of a journalist in the Sahel,” documented how fear of retaliation silences reporting. the april 26, 2026, attack on defense minister sadio camara illustrates this trend: many local outlets delayed coverage until the army confirmed the incident, avoiding potential reprisals.
economic strangulation: a press corps without support
economic woes compound the crisis. public funding for media, introduced in 1996 to support private outlets and press freedom, has been frozen since january 2021. the annual budget of 200 million cfa francs (€300,000) was a lifeline for many, but its withdrawal has left independent outlets in dire straits. ngo bans and the departure of international organizations—key advertising partners—have further crippled revenues.
security threats: journalists under fire
since 2020, armed groups have killed, kidnapped, or threatened journalists across central and northern Mali. the support group for islam and muslims (gsim/jnim) has been linked to several high-profile abductions, including french journalist olivier dubois (held from april 2021 to march 2023) and local reporters hamadoun nialibouly and moussa m’bana dicko, whose cases remain unresolved. in 2023, journalist abdoul aziz djibrilla was killed, harouna attino was injured, and saleck ag jiddou and moustapha koné of radio coton ansongo were kidnapped—all in the same attack. ortm staff daouda koné and salif sangaré were abducted in october 2025 and released in december.