Guinea takes news channel off the air ahead of vote

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CONAKRY - The broadcast authority in Guinea, where junta strongman Mamady Doumbouya is almost certain to win Sunday's presidential vote, has suspended news channel Africa 24 ahead of the contest.

Africa 24, founded by Cameroon national Constant Nemale and covering news across the continent, is the first international media to be taken off the air by the authorities.

Several domestic outlets have been suspended in recent years, or shut down completely.

In a statement late Sunday, media regulator HAC accused Africa 24 of "operating illegally" by broadcasting several news pieces on the election campaign without prior authorisation.

The regulator said the channel's request to be accredited to the campaign was under consideration, but "held up" because legally-required documents had not been submitted.

The junta in power is regularly accused of restricting press freedom, by blocking outlets or arresting journalists.

Habib Marouane Camara, editor of the Lerevelateur224 news site, has been missing since December 2024, after what the Reporters Without Borders NGO has said was an "abduction".

Doumbouya has cracked down on civil liberties, and the junta has banned protests since 2022 and has arrested, put on trial or driven to exile many opponents. Reports of enforced disappearances have multiplied in recent years.

Since its independence in 1958, Guinea has had a complex history of military and authoritarian rule, including multiple military interventions.

Guinea is one of the world's poorest countries despite possessing immense natural resources.