Guinea: the director of France 24 apologizes to Mamadi Doumbouya

The director of France 24, Vanessa Burggraf, sent a personal letter to Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya, dated September 17 and written on France Médias Monde letterhead, just hours after the channel was banned from broadcasting across the entire national territory. In the letter, she acknowledges that a journalist from the channel used “an inaccurate term” regarding the head of state, assuring that the mistake was immediately corrected, both on air and on digital platforms, and that there was no intention to disrespect Guinean institutions or him personally.

The director of France 24 stated that she summoned the journalist involved, who apologized on air, and requested that the editorial team exercise increased vigilance to prevent such an incident from happening again. She asserts that the channel complied with the requests of the High Authority for Communication (HAC) as quickly as possible and acknowledges that the wording used may have offended the president. “Since the person directly concerned by this incident is none other than yourself, I appeal to your kindness,” she wrote, requesting a reconsideration of the measures taken against the channel.

A total ban imposed the day before

The incident that triggered the crisis dates back to September 14, when a presenter from France 24 referred to Mamadi Doumbouya as a “coup president” during a news broadcast. The HAC had issued a formal notice to the channel the following day to cease the use of terms it deemed detrimental to the dignity of the president and to make editorial corrections. Noting that the incriminating excerpt remained accessible on the channel’s website on the morning of September 17, the institution ordered an immediate ban on France 24 throughout the territory, by a decision signed by its president, Boubacar Yacine Diallo, and ten commissioners.

This decision revokes the broadcasting license of the channel, withdraws the accreditations of all its correspondents and collaborators in Guinea, and instructs the Regulatory Authority for Posts and Telecommunications to block all its digital access, with the distributor Canal+ Guinea required to cut its signal without delay.

The HAC has not yet reversed its decision despite Vanessa Burggraf’s approach. This measure is part of a series of recent tensions between West African governments and the media group France Médias Monde, with RFI and France 24 already suspended in Togo since June 2025 for coverage deemed by Togolese authorities to be inaccurate and biased.