Senegal media embarks on blackout protest against repression

The media in Senegal observed a news blackout on August 13, 2024, in protest of repressive measures taken against them by the new government.

Several news outlets responded positively to a call by the Conseil des diffuseurs et éditeurs de la presse du Sénégal (CDEPS), an organisation representing broadcast and publishing companies, to suspend publication and broadcast in protest of the government’s draconian measures.

No newspapers were published on Tuesday, except for a few that featured the same headline: “Journée sans presse” (press-free day) in red and white on a black background, while TV stations showed blank screens.

The same applied to websites and radio stations that restricted themselves to playing music without any live news or presentations.

The "strike" aims to protest against the new government’s multi-faceted pressure exerted on the media, including the freezing of the Press Development and Support Fund and the bank accounts of certain media companies.

The state authorities have also suspended the government's subscriptions to newspapers and unilaterally terminated advertising contracts with them.

In addition, the new government has decided to claim 38 billion FCFA from press companies, which the previous government had decided to write off.

The amount breaks down into 13 billion FCFA in tax debts and 25 billion FCFA in dues to the Agence de Régulation des Télécommunications et de la Poste (Artp).

Besides freezing the accounts of companies, the authorities have issued warnings and confiscated the production equipment of certain media organisations.

However, media leaders say they are ready to negotiate a tax regime adaptable to their situation.

“We are not refusing to pay, and we pay our taxes. However, what we are asking is that, in view of the specific nature of the [media] sector, there should be differentiated taxation, as there is in France and here in Senegal in agriculture, public housing, and health sectors,” Mamadou Ibra Kane, President of CDEPS and owner of Avenir Communication, told the media at the end of an emergency meeting held on June 5.

The emergency meeting was prompted by concerns, including the freezing and seizure of 91 million FCFA from the bank account of Avenir Communication.

“The procedure is too fast. And we might wonder why the tax authorities are so diligent in dealing with some companies and not others,” said Mr. Kane in an interview with RFM radio on June 12.

Mr. Kane condemned what he said: government powers being abused for political ends.

The seizure of accounts led a number of media organisations, including the publishers of daily newspapers Stades and Sunu Lamb as well as Vox Pop, to suspend publication.

In addition to the economic strangulation, the media has accused the new government of threatening press freedom in Senegal.

This is in reference to the Prime Minister's diatribe against the media at a meeting of young executives of his political party, the Pastef.

"We will no longer allow the media to write whatever they want about people without any reliable source, in the name of so-called press freedom," declared Ousmane Sonko on June 9, 2024, in Dakar.

Mr. Sonko's statements sparked a wave of indignation in the media space, the political class, and civil society in Senegal.

However, the crackdown on the media was not limited to warnings or threats from the new authorities; a number of journalists have been arrested recently.

For example, the police arrested and questioned the Director of Publication of the newspaper La Tribune, Pape Moussa Traoré, and the Director of Publication of the newspaper Le Quotidien, Mohamed Guèye, before releasing them on May 31.

They were accused of publishing alleged false information about the transfer of an army general to New Delhi, India, as a military attaché of Senegal’s embassy.

Pape Moussa Traore of La Tribune was briefly detained before being released the same day.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) commends the sacrifices made by the Senegalese media to ensure their survival in the face of the many challenges they face.

We welcome the solidarity of the media players who have largely followed the call for a press-free day and express our solidarity with the Senegalese press.

We call on the authorities to give priority to dialogue and to show understanding towards the press companies.

It is in the interest of the new authorities to support and promote an independent press whose immense contribution to building peace and social cohesion as well as consolidating democracy has made Senegal a benchmark country for democracy in Africa.

It will be recalled that the MFWA, in collaboration with six other regional and international organisations, recently sent an open letter to the new Senegalese authorities, calling on them to give priority to press freedom.