Mali Detains Journalist Over Criticism of Niger Junta, Press Freedom Concerns Mount
Human Rights Watch calls for immediate release of Youssouf Sissoko as Mali tightens restrictions on independent journalism under military rule
- Youssouf Sissoko, editor of L’Alternance, was arrested in Bamako
- The arrest followed Sissoko’s article questioning claims by Niger’s ruler about foreign support for extremist groups after a recent Niamey airport attack
- Human Rights Watch condemned the detention
Malian authorities have arrested a leading journalist after he criticised Niger’s military leadership, a move that Human Rights Watch says raises fresh concerns about press freedom in the region.
Youssouf Sissoko, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper L’Alternance, was picked up at his residence in Bamako on February 5. He was later taken before a cybercrime prosecutor and charged with spreading false information and insulting a foreign head of state.
Following the charges, the prosecutor ordered Sissoko to be held in pretrial detention, according to Human Rights Watch, which cited official case proceedings.
The arrest came days after Sissoko published a February 2 article challenging statements made by Niger’s military ruler, General Abdourahamane Tchani, regarding alleged foreign support for extremist groups. Tchani had accused France, Benin and Ivory Coast of backing militants linked to an airport attack in Niamey last month.
The attack, claimed by the Islamic State Sahel Province, has further escalated tensions across a region already grappling with insecurity and political instability.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso are currently under military rule following recent coups, with junta leaders having seized power on promises to restore stability. However, analysts say extremist violence has continued to intensify across the Sahel despite these assurances.
The military governments have since severed relations with France, established a regional security alliance, and strengthened military cooperation with Russia. Rights organisations, however, have accused security forces of targeting civilians suspected of supporting militant groups.
Amid the worsening security environment, authorities in the three countries have tightened restrictions on dissent, with journalists, media houses and opposition figures increasingly coming under scrutiny.
In Mali, the government banned the Pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique in January 2025 and suspended several French media outlets as part of broader media controls.
Human Rights Watch said Sissoko’s detention underscores the shrinking space for independent journalism under military rule and called on Malian authorities to release him immediately and drop all charges.
