Prosecutors representing the Alliance of Sahel States, which includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, are conducting a criminal investigation into Wassim Nasr, a journalist for the French TV channel France 24.
They claim that he is partly responsible for some of the security problems the region is currently facing, first off accusing him of making “comments that are tantamount to acts of publicity and blatant support for terrorists.”
Anadolu Agency reports that prosecutors representing the three countries noted that Nasr has “clearly indicated that he was in contact with the attackers” since a terror assault in Mali’s capital, Bamako, on September 17.
“Terrorists communicated with him in real time (about) the objectives of their attacks, their positions, the different targets aimed at … and the resulting human and material toll,” according to a statement by Malian prosecutor Bocar Amadou Toure.
“These acts are criminally analyzed as potentially constituting offenses under criminal law,” he added.
Shortly after news of his investigation broke, the journalist took to Twitter, to express gratitude to everyone constantly in support of his efforts.
“Thank you to each person who expressed their support to me in public & private, especially those in conflict zones. Almost 15 years that I have been working on this subject, I have disturbed a lot of people, but I have the luxury of being in a country where this profession remains protected,” he tweeted.
France 24 in a communique, proscribed the allegations stating that they denounce “the serious, unfounded accusations made by the three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States against its journalist Wassim Nasr.”
The France 24 journalist and security expert typically specialize on insecurity concerns, particularly jihadist attacks across the world. He has recently been reporting on the violence in the Sahel region.
“We should all have a thought about all journalists and civil society activists who are surviving under the rule of those juntas, they are the ones who need support,” he added.
His latest analysis on France 24, details the Burkina Faso attack from Islamist militants on the 24th in the north-central town of Barsalogho.
The Sahel States
Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali currently run a military regime, after ousting their former democratic government in a military coup. All three states have been asked to revert to democratic rule in the Economic Community of West African States, their original regional block.
As a result, the three countries decided to exit the bloc to establish the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a regional bloc exclusive to them.
After their elected governments were overthrown, the military regimes promised to put an end to insurgencies, but conflict researchers have seen an increase in violence while they were in power.
Their security services are overburdened fighting terrorist violence because of their shared borders in the war-torn Sahel area, according to AFP.
Over the past year, groups affiliated with both Islamic State and al-Qaeda have been responsible for the deaths of numerous people in the region.
