Gambiaj.com – (CONAKRY, Guinea) – A dispute between France 24 and Guinea’s authorities has escalated into a broader media row after the French news channel referred to President Mamadi Doumbouya as a “putschist,” prompting a strong reaction from Conakry, a formal warning from the media regulator, and, ultimately, the suspension of the channel’s operations in Guinea.
The controversy began with a France 24 news report broadcast on 15 September, in which Doumbouya was described as a “putschist.” The term refers to his rise to power following the September 2021 military coup that removed former President Alpha Condé.
But Guinea’s authorities argued that the description failed to take account of what they consider to be a fundamental change in the country’s political status: Doumbouya was elected president in December 2025 and sworn into office in January 2026.
Conakry Moves Against France 24
The Haute Autorité de la Communication (HAC), Guinea’s media regulator, formally put France 24 on notice on 16 September, describing the terminology used against Doumbouya as inappropriate.
The regulator said the description failed to recognize the president’s “legitimacy from the ballot box” and accused France 24 of breaching requirements of accuracy, impartiality, and balance in news reporting.
The HAC ordered the channel to immediately stop using terms it considered “inappropriate” and damaging to the dignity of Guinea’s institutions, while also demanding editorial corrections across its digital platforms. It warned that further violations could lead to additional sanctions.
The dispute then escalated. The HAC suspended France 24’s broadcasting authorization in Guinea and ordered measures affecting its distribution through satellite, cable, mobile applications, websites, and social media.
The regulator also moved to withdraw the press accreditations of the channel’s correspondents and other collaborators in Guinea.
France 24 Admits Error and Apologizes
France 24 subsequently acknowledged that the description was an error and issued a correction on air.
During its 17 September broadcast, the journalist who had used the expression explained that Doumbouya had indeed come to power through the 2021 coup but had subsequently been elected president in the 28 December 2025 presidential election.
The journalist described the earlier wording as an error and offered an apology to the Guinean president.
The apology, however, has not resulted in the immediate lifting of the measures imposed by the Guinean authorities.
As of 17 September, the suspension remained in force, with no announcement from the HAC indicating that France 24’s authorization had been restored. The regulator had also instructed the telecommunications authorities to block digital access to the channel and called on Canal+ Guinea to cut its signal.
The episode has therefore moved beyond a dispute over a single description on television and into a wider confrontation between an international news organization and Guinea’s regulatory authorities over how the country’s current political leadership should be described.
For Conakry, the issue is the recognition of Doumbouya’s status as an elected president following the 2025 election. The broadcaster, France 24, has now acknowledged that its use of the term “putschist president” was erroneous and has publicly corrected it.
The key question now is whether that correction will be enough for Guinea to reverse the suspension. As of the latest available information, the suspension has not been lifted.
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