Guinea’s media regulator banned French media outlet France 24 from broadcasting Thursday after a presenter called the country’s leader a “putschist president”.
The west African nation is ruled with an iron fist by President Mamady Doumbouya who first came to power via a coup, and dissenting voices have been reduced to a bare minimum. The HAC said it had revoked France 24’s authorisation to broadcast in Guinea and that press accreditations had been withdrawn for its correspondents, special envoys and contributors.
The Monday clip in which Doumbouya is described as a “putschist president” remained visible on the channel’s website Thursday, accompanied by a written message that called the wording an error. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said such “decisions undermine the freedom to report and the public’s right to diverse sources of information in Guinea”.
Doumbouya came to power in a 2021 coup before being elected president in December 2025 in a vote featuring no significant opposition.
