Guinea suspends France 24 broadcast over comments about president

Guinea’s media regulator has suspended French international news channel France 24 from broadcasting in the country over comments it said were disrespectful to President Mamady Doumbouya.

The High Authority for Communication (HAC), in a statement issued on Thursday, said the suspension followed remarks it considered to have undermined the dignity of the Guinean president.

The action came a day after the regulator warned France 24 over what it described as the use of an inappropriate term to describe Doumbouya.

During a September 14 broadcast, a presenter referred to Doumbouya as a “putschist president”, a description linked to his rise to power through a military coup in 2021.

France 24 said on Wednesday that it intended to apologise and correct the remark. A note accompanying the video of the broadcast now states that Doumbouya was “mistakenly labelled a putschist president.”

The HAC also withdrew the press accreditation of a correspondent for French-language news magazine Jeune Afrique on Wednesday, accusing the journalist of professional misconduct without providing further details.

Doumbouya seized power in Guinea in a 2021 military coup and was later elected president in December 2025 in an election that was held without significant opposition.

Since taking power, Guinean authorities have dissolved political parties, restricted protests and detained several people accused of dissent. Some others have reportedly gone into exile or disappeared.

Internet and social media access have also been restricted at various times in recent years.

France 24 has previously faced broadcast bans in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, all military-led West African countries that have reduced their ties with France and strengthened relations with Russia.

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