Togo has suspended broadcasts of French state-funded international news outlets RFI and France 24 for three months, its communications authority said on Monday, accusing them of a lack of impartiality and rigour.
The suspension comes as tensions are rising between the West African country’s leader, Faure Gnassingbe and the opposition.
Gnassingbe received in May a powerful new role of President of the Council of Ministers which has no fixed term limit.
Two opposition parties – the Democratic Forces for the Republic and the National Alliance for Change – called this move a “constitutional coup” that could extend his rule for life.
RFI and France 24 have been covering opposition protests against the new constitution that created Gnassingbe’s new role.
“A number of recent broadcasts have relayed inaccurate, tendentious and even factually incorrect statements, damaging the stability of republican institutions and the country’s image,” Togo’s communications authority said in a statement.
In a joint statement, both outlets reaffirmed their commitment to journalistic principles and said that their management was willing to clear up any misunderstanding with the authority.
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