Burkina Faso suspends France 24 for interview with jihadi

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Burkina Faso’s military junta has suspended French broadcaster, France 24, for interviewing a top jihadi rebel. Government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo announced in a statement Monday that France 24’s programs will be blocked throughout Burkina Faso because of an interview the outlet did with the leader of an al-Qaida aligned group. He said that by describing the views of the head of the rebel group, France 24 had acted as a communication agency for the jihadis and gave them space to legitimize their actions. Jihadi fighters linked al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been waging a violent insurgency in Burkina Faso for seven years, that’s killed thousands and displaced nearly 2 million people.