The Shameful silence on Sahel terrorism – And the media’s complicity
The international community’s deafening silence on terrorist atrocities in the Sahel is a moral scandal. But even worse is the disgraceful coverage by France 24 and the misleading analyses of Wassim Nasr, who dare to legitimize the butchers terrorizing Burkina Faso and the wider region.
While entire families are slaughtered, villages burned to ashes, and thousands displaced, these so-called journalists rebrand terrorists as “political actors” and their crimes as mere “conflict.”
France 24’s bias is glaring. Funded by the French state, this outlet delivers morally ambiguous reports, describing armed groups with obscene neutrality.
Wassim Nasr, paraded as an expert, downplays their brutality, framing massacres as “insurgency” or “resistance movements”—never terrorism.
Imagine an African media outlet using such language about an attack in Europe—the outcry would be instant.
This hypocrisy is no accident. It reflects a broader strategy of regional destabilization. With France’s influence waning in the Sahel, its media now serves as a tool for indirect control.
By whitewashing terrorists, France 24 and Nasr undermine local efforts to restore security, pushing a narrative that favors neocolonial interests while Sahelian civilians pay in blood.
Where are the human rights organizations? Why does the UN stay silent? The double standard is blatant.
When it’s Ukraine or Israel, Western media amplifies every detail—yet the Sahel’s suffering is met with indifference.
Enough is enough. Africans must demand accountability. Boycott France 24, reject Nasr’s distorted commentary, and support truthful reporting.
The Sahel deserves more than complicit, empty journalism. The world must stop looking away.
Cédric KABORE
