France loses its last soft-power strongholds in Niger: suspension of ten media outlets

France’s retreat in Africa is no longer limited to military withdrawal or the loss of political influence. It now extends to the media sphere, one of Paris’s most important traditional tools for maintaining its presence in its former colonies.

By a decision issued on Friday by the ruling military council in Niger, the broadcasting of around ten media outlets linked to the former French colonial power was suspended, on the grounds that they allegedly threaten public order.

Accusations

In a statement aired on state television, the authorities accused the targeted media organizations of broadcasting “content likely to expose public order, national unity, social cohesion, and the stability of Nigerien institutions to serious danger.”

The ban includes France 24, Radio France Internationale, France Afrique Média, LCI Africa, Agence France-Presse, TV5 Monde, TF1 Info, Jeune Afrique, and Mediapart.

The statement specifies that the suspension is “immediate” and applies to satellite packages, cable networks, digital platforms, websites, and mobile applications.

The broadcasting of Radio France Internationale and France 24 had already been suspended a few days after the July 2023 coup in which the military council seized power.

In December 2024, the broadcasting of the BBC was also suspended.

Break with France

On Tuesday, Burkina Faso, an ally of Niger and Mali within the Alliance of Sahel States, all governed by military councils, banned the broadcasting of TV5 Monde. The Nigerien decision comes just days before a summit in Kenya between France and several African countries.

Anti-French sentiment is rising in some former African colonies as the continent becomes a stage for diplomatic rivalry amid the growing influence of Russia and China.

France, which once dominated vast areas of North, Central, and West Africa, played a central role in the continent’s post-colonial history, intervening militarily on numerous occasions since the early 1960s.

French forces stationed in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger withdrew following successive coups, while the military councils in those countries have drawn closer to Russia.