Guinea’s Junta Suspends International Broadcaster Africa 24 Ahead of Controversial Election
CONAKRY, Guinea — Guinea’s broadcast regulator has suspended the international news channel Africa 24, just days before a presidential election that critics say is designed to entrench military rule.
Officials from the High Authority for Communication (HAC) stated that the channel was operating “illegally” by airing campaign coverage without prior authorization. The suspension, announced earlier this week, marks the first time the ruling junta has taken an international media outlet off the air since seizing power in a 2021 coup.
Founded by Cameroonian journalist Constant Nemale, Africa 24 is a pan-African news network with a significant reach across the continent. Its removal from Guinea’s airwaves follows a pattern of media repression under the military government led by Colonel Mamady Doumbouya. Several domestic outlets have been forcibly shut down in recent years, particularly following the banning of protests in 2022. That period also saw a rise in reports of enforced disappearances, targeting both activists and journalists.
Media rights groups have repeatedly condemned the junta for systematically restricting press freedom. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have documented a series of arrests, intimidation tactics, and regulatory pressures aimed at silencing critical reporting.
The timing of Africa 24’s suspension has raised further alarm among observers and opposition figures. The December 28 presidential vote is widely expected to solidify Doumbouya’s grip on power after key political rivals were disqualified or otherwise sidelined from the electoral process. The election has been criticized by regional blocs and international partners as lacking the conditions for a credible and inclusive contest.
“The suspension of Africa 24 on the eve of the election is a blatant attempt to control the narrative and limit the information available to Guinean citizens,” said a Conakry-based media analyst who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. “Accusing an established international channel of operating illegally for covering an election is a pretext for censorship.”
There has been no immediate comment from Africa 24’s headquarters regarding the suspension. The channel’s broadcasts remain inaccessible within Guinea.
As the country approaches the December 28 vote, the media landscape grows increasingly constrained, with independent voices being stifled and the military government tightening its control over the flow of information.
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