The government of Ivory Coast has ordered the suspension of FM broadcasts from France's state radio station, Radio France International, saying recent reports show bias against the government.
RFI aired a story last week about a massacre of more than 100 people in the western part of Ivory Coast in June. RFI's story referred to a United Nations report that implicated the government. The U.N. mission has since denied that such a report exists.
Ivory Coast is demanding that the popular radio broadcasters retract the story and pay a $16,000 fine before broadcasts are allowed to resume.
An RFI statement defends its news coverage and asks Ivory Coast to quickly reconsider its decision.
The former French colony has intermittently suspected RFI broadcasts over the years.
Some information for this story provided by APF and Reuters.
