Meta Suspends African Stream’s Backup Account on Instagram

Social media company Meta has suspended African Stream’s backup account on Instagram three days after permanently banning its official account across Facebook and Threads.

The suspension was disclosed on Friday in a post by African Stream on its official account on X. Meta gave them a 180-day grace to appeal the suspension, or it would permanently deactivate the account.

On September 17, 2024, West Africa Weekly reported how African Stream was caught up in a series of crackdown efforts by the U.S. State Department against free speech and freedom of the press, particularly as African Stream operates a non-western-align view as its editorial policies.

As it is boldly described on its website, the pan-Africanist digital media organisation “provide a voice to Africans at home and abroad through cutting-edge, African-centred content.”

To this and without evidence, the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blicken had accused African Stream of operating under the Kremlin’s influence.

RT also secretly runs the online platform African Stream across a wide range of social media platforms,” Blicken accused.

In response to Blicken’s accusation, African Stream stated: “Our platform is being targeted by the imperialist ruling class, which wants to erase pan-African voices that challenge their narratives concerning Africa and African people worldwide.”

Meanwhile, African Stream is pivoting towards maintaining its pan-Africanist-based media outfit on less censored social platforms like X, Rumble, and TikTok.

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About The Author

Mayowa Durosinmi

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Mayowa Durosinmi is a Nigerian investigative reporter for West Africa Weekly with reports focusing on politics, human rights, security and health in West Africa and the Sahel region.

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