Sahel Ban On RFI, France 24 Cost France Médias Monde 7 Million Viewers

France Medias Monde (FMM), the French public media group that operates RFI and France 24, has lost seven million listeners and viewers in Africa between 2019 and 2023, according to a draft objectives and performance contract (COM) between France and the group.

The decline follows the banning of RFI and France 24 in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2021 and 2023.

The initial suspension occurred in March 2022, when Mali’s transitional government ordered the cessation of RFI and France 24 broadcasts. This decision was a response to reports by these outlets alleging that the Malian army was involved in human rights violations against civilians.

The government accused the French media of disseminating false information to destabilise the country. Despite appeals and protests from FMM, the suspension was upheld, resulting in a loss of over a million listeners and viewers in Mali alone.

Following Mali’s lead, Burkina Faso’s military junta suspended RFI in December 2022 and France 24 in March 2023. The authorities cited reasons similar to those in Mali, accusing the French broadcasters of biased reporting and undermining the nation’s security.

These actions led to a combined loss of approximately 4.4 million weekly listeners and viewers in Burkina Faso.

In August 2023, the newly established military authorities in Niger also suspended both RFI and France 24. This move further reduced FMM’s audience by approximately 1.9 million weekly listeners and viewers in Niger.

According to the COM presented to the French National Assembly by FMM, the audience loss in the Sahel represents more than 3 per cent of FMM’s global viewership in 2019.

Sputnik Africa reported that French-speaking countries in Africa have been a key market for FMM, with RFI reaching 33 million weekly listeners in 2023 and France 24 drawing 46.8 million viewers, making Africa the largest viewership base for the broadcaster. The continent contributes over 60 million listeners and viewers—nearly a quarter of FMM’s total audience.

The COM attributed the drop to increasing distrust of Western media and censorship by the new regimes in the Sahel region. It also claimed that to win back audiences in Africa, it must win a perceived “information war” being waged by Russia, which the Sahel leaders have turned to for partnership after cutting ties with France.

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