“Putschist President”: France 24 banned from broadcasting in Guinea

The High Authority for Communication (HAC) of Guinea ordered on Thursday the immediate prohibition of the broadcast of France 24 throughout the national territory, by decision n°032/HAC/P/2026 signed by its president, Boubacar Yacine Diallo, following an extraordinary session.

The sanction follows the use, on September 14 during a television news broadcast, of the term “coup president” to refer to the head of state by a presenter from the channel. The next day, the HAC had issued a formal notice to France 24 to cease the use of terms it deemed offensive to the dignity of the president and to make editorial corrections. According to the regulator, the incriminating excerpt remained accessible on the channel’s website on the morning of September 17.

The HAC qualifies this refusal as a “manifest, deliberate, and characterized” non-compliance with its decision, viewing it as an open challenge to the regulatory body, a continuous offense against President Doumbouya, and a violation of Guinean legal sovereignty. It also invokes the urgency of preserving public order and the stability of institutions.

The decision provides for a ban on broadcasting by any technical means, including satellite, cable, mobile applications, websites, and social networks. It revokes the broadcasting authorization of the channel on national territory and immediately withdraws the press accreditations of all its correspondents, special envoys, and collaborators in Guinea. The Regulatory Authority for Posts and Telecommunications (ARPT) is tasked with promptly blocking all digital access to the channel, while the distributor Canal+ Guinea is ordered to immediately cut its signal. The decision takes effect from the date of its signature and must be published in the Official Journal.

This measure is part of a series of recent tensions between West African governments and the French media group France Médias Monde, with RFI and France 24 already suspended in Togo since June 2025 for coverage deemed by Togolese authorities to be inaccurate and biased.