Mali’s junta arrests prominent journalist for criticizing Niger’s military leader, rights group says

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) - Malian authorities arrested a prominent journalist for criticizing the leader of neighboring Niger, a rights group said Monday, as the military regime in the West African country increasingly curtails freedom of expression during a security crisis.

Youssouf Sissoko, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper L'Alternance, was arrested by police at his home in Bamako, Mali's capital, on Feb. 5, Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

"The police took Sissoko before a cybercrime unit prosecutor, who charged him with spreading false information and insulting a foreign head of state, among other offenses, and ordered him held in pretrial custody," the statement read.

The arrest followed the publication of an article in L'Alternance on Feb. 2 questioning accusations by Niger's military ruler Gen. Abdourahamane Tchani that the presidents of France, Benin and Ivory Coast supported extremist groups that attacked an airport in the capital Niamey last month.

The attack was claimed by the Islamic State Sahel Province.

Mali, alongside neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, have been wracked by coups in recent years and are now ruled by military leaders who took power by force, pledging to provide more security to citizens.

Since seizing power, the juntas have cut ties with France and other Western powers, created their own security alliance and turned to Russia for military support to fight extremist insurgencies.

The security situation in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has worsened in recent times, analysts say, with a record number of attacks by Islamic extremists. Government forces have also been accused of killing civilians they suspect of collaborating with militants.

Meanwhile, the military leaders have cracked down on political dissent and journalists. In January 2025, Malian authorities banned the sale of the Pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique. Several French media outlets, including France24, TV5 Monde, and Radio France International, are also banned from broadcasting in Mali. Several opposition leaders have been imprisoned for criticizing the military regime.

"Sissoko's arbitrary detention highlights the fragile state of independent media in a country fraught with repression and shrinking civic space. The authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Sissoko and drop all charges against him," HRW said in its statement.