Mali's junta on Thursday banned the media from reporting on activities of political parties and associations, according to a copy of the notice distributed on social media in the latest restrictive step by the country's rulers.
The order applied to all forms of the media, including television, radio, online and print newspapers. It followed a decision on Wednesday that banned all political party activities until further notice.
Mali has experienced two coups since 2020, leading a wave of political instability that has swept across West and Central Africa in recent years. Along with its political troubles, the country is also in the grip of a worsening insurgency by militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Thursday's order was issued by the high authority for communication.
The scope of the ban 바카라 or how it would be applied in practice 바카라 was not immediately clear. It was also not known if journalists would still be allowed to report on issues such as the economy, which are closely tied to politics and who would monitor their work.
The umbrella organization that represents journalists in Mali responded with an unusually stern rebuttal.
The group, known as Maison de le Press, or Press House, said it rejects the order and called on journalists to continue to report on politics in the country. It also urged journalists to 바카라stand tall, remain unified and to mobilize to defend the right of citizens to have access to information.바카라
Mali's national commission for human rights also expressed regret and profound concern over the decision in a statement published late Thursday. It warned the junta the decision could prove harmful.
바카라Instead of calming the social climate, these restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms could potentially stir up trouble and tension, which the country does not need,바카라 it said.
The clampdown on the media followed similar action on Wednesday, when the junta ordered the suspension of all activities by political parties until further notice, citing a a need to preserve public order. The news was broadcast on state television as the population was celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan in which observant Muslims fast from dawn until dusk.
Analysts said the move was likely a backlash against political figures, civil society and students who have expressed frustration with the junta's failure to return the country to democratic rule as promised.
바카라Recent weeks saw mounting pressure by political parties and figures,바카라 Rida Lyammouri of the Policy Center for the New South, a Morocco-based think tank, told The Associated Press. 바카라For the first time, the public and politicians have publicly criticized junta leaders and accused them of a lack of seriousness.바카라
Col. Assimi Goita, who took charge after a second coup in 2021, promised to return the country to democracy in early 2024. But in September, the junta canceled elections scheduled for February 2024 indefinitely, citing the need for further technical preparations.
The junta has vowed to end the insurgency that emerged in 2012 after deposing the elected government. It cut military ties with France amid growing frustration with the lack of progress after a decade of assistance, and turned to Russian contractors, mercenaries from the Wagner group, for security support instead. But analysts say the violence has only grown worse.
The United States said it was 바카라deeply concerned바카라 by the ban on political activities. 바카라Freedom of expression and freedom of association are critical to an open society,바카라 State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters in Washington.
