Access to the Confidential Africa site will soon be blocked in Senegal, according to an announcement by the Director of Communication of the Ministry of Communication and the Digital Economy, who confirmed that the authorities have started the procedures necessary to restrict access to this online media.
This measure comes after a series of publications deemed sensitive by the new authorities, in particular on national security issues. The Confidential Africa site recently said that 312 police officers from the 7ᵉ cohort and 500 gendarmes would have been dismissed to be replaced by young members from the Pastef/MFDC militia, allegations that have aroused strong reactions and contributed to fuel tensions. Considered a threat to national stability, these revelations have precipitated the decision to block access to the site on Senegalese territory.
“The authority has asked for access to the Confidential Africa site will no longer be available in Senegal. Barely, as soon as the decision takes effect, it will be difficult to have access to confidential Africa in Senegal. We have started the procedures, ”said the director of communication, without however giving a specific calendar. This initiative raises questions about press freedom and access to information, in a political context already marked by tensions between power and certain press bodies.
If the authorities invoke the need to preserve national security and to fight against disinformation, votes rise to denounce an authoritarian drift and a desire to muzzle the media which criticize or question government action. Note that the Confidential Africa site, based abroad, specializes in the publication of sensitive surveys on the high African political and military spheres, which has already earned it restrictions or criticisms in other countries on the continent.
