A new report by the International Press Institute (IPI) has revealed an escalating crackdown on journalists across Sahel nations, warning of a growing information blackout with regional and global consequences.
Published on March 26, the report highlights how military regimes in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have intensified repression of independent media following a wave of coups.
According to the findings, authorities are increasingly deploying cybercrime and national security laws to arrest, harass, and jail journalists reporting on sensitive issues, particularly security failures and human rights abuses.
Niger has emerged as a leading jailer of journalists, with several detained under broadly defined cybercrime provisions, the report said.
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It also documents widespread media shutdowns. Both foreign and local outlets have been suspended or blocked, while regulatory bodies have been restructured to tighten state control.
In some cases, journalists have been deported, and media organisations forced to shut down.
The pattern extends to Mali, where cybercrime laws are routinely used to target critical reporting, the report said.
Journalists such as Alfousseni Togo, Issiaka Tamboura, Youssou Traoré, and Kassim Traoré have been prosecuted over publications questioning the judiciary, with penalties that can reach up to 10 years in prison.
In Burkina Faso, the report said authorities have gone further by forcibly conscripting journalists who criticise the government into military service.
Meanwhile, cross-border repression is growing, with journalists prosecuted for comments about neighbouring regimes.
IPI said beyond state actions, journalists face threats from extremist groups, including kidnappings and killings, further shrinking the space for independent reporting.
It said the combined pressure has led to widespread self-censorship, exile, and silence among journalists, creating a dangerous vacuum of credible information.
This gap, the report warns, is increasingly being filled by propaganda and disinformation, particularly as foreign actors expand influence in the region.
The organisation called for urgent international action to halt the repression, warning that continued attacks on press freedom risk deepening insecurity and authoritarianism across the Sahel.
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