RSF urges Sahel States to sign declaration protecting journalists’ right to information

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is urging Sahel authorities to endorse a new declaration on press freedom and the right to information as violence against journalists in the region escalates.

At the summit organized by UNESCO and the African Union in Addis Ababa between 6 and 9 November,  RSF highlighted the alarming realities facing journalists across Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, and Niger.

Journalists in Burkina Faso, for instance, face forced military recruitment, bringing them into dangerous frontlines under coercion.

In Mali, armed groups have increasingly targeted reporters, with investigative journalist Birama Touré still missing since 2016, believed to have been abducted due to his reporting on corruption, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, RSF.

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Meanwhile, in Chad, the 2021 killing of reporter Falikou Koulibaly amid political unrest highlighted the lethal risks journalists face in volatile regions. And in Niger, the detention of journalists for alleged national security threats, often without due process, has raised alarm over arbitrary arrests as tools for silencing the press.

Further amplifying these concerns, RSF reports that regional newsrooms are frequently raided, with essential equipment seized and news outlets barred from operating. In April 2022, for example, Burkina Faso suspended the international outlet France 24, alleging it jeopardized public order—a move widely criticized as an infringement on press freedom.

RSF’s ten-point declaration calls on Sahelian states to protect journalists’ access to information, ensure safety in conflict zones, and prevent internet shutdowns during social and political upheavals, which often block news coverage and public access to reliable information. RSF’s Sadibou Marong noted that such measures are critical as the region becomes a "zone of non-information."

At the summit, RSF officials aimed to secure commitments from Sahel nations to protect journalists and uphold the public’s right to information, pushing back against the authoritarian measures that have created perilous conditions for the press in recent years.