By opening its airwaves to the leader of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) France24 acts as a communication media agency for these terrorists and provides them with a space to legitimize their terrorist actions and their hate speech, the statement from the Burkina government spokesman said.

The text added that ‘therefore the government in the name of the greater interest of the nation suspends the transmission of France24 programs throughout the national territory’.

Since 2015 AQIM and other Islamist armed groups have been operating in the north of this country and are currently trying to force their way into neighboring states, where there is no activity of these entities and there is a population mostly of Muslim confession.

Earlier this month, the station broadcast the answers of AQIM’s leader, Abu Obeida Youssef al-Annabi, of 15 questions from a journalist on the French station.

Burkina Faso is the second African country to cut France24’s programming following a similar decision by Mali for the same reasons; both states also called for the withdrawal of French military forces stationed on their territories.

jrr/jav/mgt/msl.