The destruction of Malian radio station Naata poses new threat to news in Sahel’s tri-border region

The only media outlet in a border region plagued by violence for years, Labbezanga's community radio station, Radio Naata, was abruptly silenced when gunmen - suspected members of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM or JNIM) - attacked its premises on 27 April, destroying or removing almost everything they found.

"There is nothing left, they took everything except the antenna," a local source told RSF, explaining that they "took advantage of the army's withdrawal to Ansongo," a town north of Labbezanga, to carry out their attack.

The attack on Radio Naata came two days after attacks targeting several civilian and military sites in Bamako, the capital, and in other towns across the country. Radio Naata had already been hit hard by the murder of one of its journalists, Abdoul Aziz Djibrilla, during an attack by an armed group on 7 November 2023. Two radio journalists abducted on the same day, Saleck Ag Jiddou, also known as Zeidane, director of Radio Coton in Ansongo, and Moustapha Koné, a presenter at the station, are still missing.

A cross-border media outlet promoting peace

Radio Naata broadcast over a radius of at least 65 km in the "tri-border" area, reaching listeners in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. It provided a valuable means for local communities to access local news and often served as a channel for local authorities, the army and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to convey messages to the public. The station had nine staff members - including four women - who produced daily programmes in French and the local languages Songhai, Tamasheq, Bambara and Fulani, covering essential topics such as health, education and the environment.

Radio Naata was granted a licence to broadcast from Labbezanga on 1 November 2020, following an attack on the local military camp that resulted in several deaths and people being displaced. When the camp was rebuilt as part of the French-led counter-insurgency operation"Opération Barkhane" (2014-2022), the Malian army came back, and "the radio had to be used to raise awareness among the local communities to strengthen security, social cohesion and peace," a local source said.

In Mali, community radio stations are the only media outlets available in many towns and villages in the north and centre of the country, which are cut off due to threats from armed groups. A radio station director in the centre of the country, who asked not to be identified, said: "Despite their importance, they struggle to operate" - mainly because of threats from armed groups, but also due to economic difficulties. "Now those in the south have also become vulnerable because the violence has shifted towards that region," he added.

In September 2025, RSF released a documentary highlighting the severe obstacles Sahel community radio stations face in reporting the news. It is a joint portrait of three radio station managers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and rekindles hope for the region's free media despite the dire situation. A year earlier, RSF joined 547 radio stations in launching the Bamako Appeal at a press conference in the Malian capital, urging regional authorities and the international community to support and protect community radio stations.