Paris-based press watchdog Reporters Without Borders has teamed up with more than 500 community radio stations across the Sahel in calling for the protection and support of local radio broadcasters, which in some places are under increasing attack.
The organization wants governments to protect radio stations' right to inform freely across the region and is also calling for shedding light on the fate of journalists who have been attacked in recent months.
“Our fear is if we don’t organize ourselves, if we don’t appeal and call on local political authorities, there will be no ... community radio stations in the Sahel,” said Sadibou Marong, RSF’s sub-Saharan Africa bureau director. He spoke from Bamako, Mali, where this appeal was launched. Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad are countries where community radios are especially vulnerable.
The stations "have always played ... a crucial role to inform and sensitize populations. They have also been using local languages, and local languages are extremely important," Marong said.
Many of the Sahel’s local radio stations were launched in the 1990s. They cover issues like farming, health and the environment that are key for local populations.
But in several Sahel countries where terrorists and other armed groups are active, RSF says the stations and their journalists are increasingly under attack. Over the past year, for example, two journalists were killed in Chad and Mali. Two others were kidnapped. Assailants also have destroyed radio stations or pressured them to broadcast their propaganda.
Anne Bocambe, RSF’s editorial head in Paris, says the Sahel’s community radio stations are critical for other reasons. Many international media have been forced to leave the Sahel. Disinformation is spreading, including by foreign groups like Russian mercenaries. There’s a danger that parts of the Sahel may become a black hole in terms of information.
