Guinea’s broadcast regulator has suspended Africa 24 days before a presidential vote expected to cement junta leader Mamady Doumbouya’s grip on power. Africa 24, a pan-African news channel founded by Cameroonian national Constant Nemale, is the first international broadcaster silenced by Guinean authorities.
The suspension comes amid an election widely seen as a foregone conclusion, with Doumbouya poised to formalise his rule through the ballot. In a late Sunday statement, the media regulator HAC accused Africa 24 of operating illegally during coverage of the election campaign.
HAC said the channel aired several reports without prior authorisation, breaching rules governing campaign accreditation and election reporting. The regulator added that Africa 24’s accreditation request was under review but delayed due to missing legally required documents.
Press freedom group Reporters Without Borders condemned the move as disproportionate, warning it restricts public access to diverse information. Guinea’s junta has repeatedly been accused of stifling independent media through suspensions, closures, and arrests of journalists.
Several domestic outlets have been shut down in recent years, deepening fears of shrinking civic space. Concerns have intensified since journalist Habib Marouane Camara went missing in December, in what RSF described as an abduction.
Doumbouya’s junta has banned protests since 2022 and forced many political opponents into exile through arrests and trials. Guinea, rich in natural resources yet among the world’s poorest nations, has endured decades of military and authoritarian rule since independence.