Press freedom under threat as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso launch official media

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00:00Lanchi Bama Yakuba used to head up an investigative newspaper in Burkina Faso.

00:05After the September 2022 coup there, press freedoms eroded quickly.

00:11Threats against him multiplied and he escaped the country last year.

00:18They threw a Molotov cocktail into my house and burned my car.

00:23This was followed with threats online and by phone.

00:30Another important escalation was in November 2023, when I saw my name on a list of people

00:37accused of being enemies of Burkina Faso and who were to be sent to the border.

00:47Media access has declined regionally.

00:49In 2023, Junta-led neighbours Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger closed ranks and signed the

00:55Alliance of Sahel States, or AES, defence pact.

00:59Journalists have increasingly come under attack and dozens have fled.

01:02Around 20 media outlets have been closed down and most foreign media suspended.

01:06Now the AES is launching its own broadcasting project, Web TV.

01:13This propaganda approach is nothing less than mystification, accompanied by a pseudo-revolutionary

01:20theme that only serves the will to stay in power as long as possible.

01:28Details are still hazy but Web TV will reportedly focus on reaching audiences online and via

01:34social media, where pro-AES accounts are already strong.

01:38Some Burkina Faso are worried the platform might exacerbate the harassment of those who

01:42question the AES.

01:46Through social media networks today, when you give a point of view that differs from

01:50that of some Burkina Beys, you're either called stateless or you're threatened in messages.

01:55Even your family can be threatened.

01:57The control of information is an important tool for the Alliance.

02:00It has a lot to prove after turning away from its Western allies who have been helping tackle

02:04insurgencies.

02:05The jihadists continue to ramp up the violence.

02:08Last month, at least 400 people were killed in Burkina Faso's deadliest ever attack.

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