BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Rights groups on Wednesday denounced the arrest of two prominent journalists in Mali in the past two days, the latest crackdown on freedom of expression by the West African country's military leadership during a security crisis.
The “Maison de La Presse,” the main press association in Mali, had said Tuesday that Abdramane Keita was arrested on charges of “undermining national unity and the credibility of the State” and “dissemination of false and misleading information.”
Keita had said on his popular TV program “Grand Jury” that the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM group controls the town of Kidal, a northern town that was seized by JNIM and separatists during major coordinated attacks in April.
In Mali, public statements suggesting that the military is losing ground to jihadist groups often lead to charges.
His arrest comes a day after the arrest of Chahana Takiou, a well-known television presenter and editor-in-chief of the newspaper “22 Septembre.” According to the same press association he was arrested Monday on charges of “undermining the credibility of the State through the judicial system.” Takiou had recently criticized the authorities' application of a cybercrime law, claiming it represents an attack on press freedom.
“The recent arrests starkly illustrate the problem Takiou identified: authorities increasingly use cybercrime legislation to punish peaceful criticism and sidestep the protections that press laws afford journalists,” Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher for Human Rights Watch, said Wednesday.
She said Mali’s 2019 cybercrime law often uses broadly defined online offenses, including alleged threats and insults, to curb free expression, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
Sadibou Marong, director of Reporters Without Borders in West Africa, said the arrests of Keita and Takiou reveal "the degree of insecurity in which media professionals operate in Mali.” He said the military leadership has plunged the press into a “spiral of repression” through silencing tactics, exclusion of dissenting voices, and the use of justice as a weapon against independent media.
Both groups called for the two journalists' release.
Mali, alongside neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, have been wracked by coups in recent years and are now ruled by military leaders who took power by force, pledging to provide more security to citizens.
Since seizing power, the juntas have cut ties with France and other Western powers, created their own security alliance and turned to Russia for military support to fight extremist insurgencies.
The security situation in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has worsened recently, analysts say, with a record number of attacks by Islamic extremists. Government forces have been accused of killing civilians they suspect of collaborating with militants.
Meanwhile, the military leaders have cracked down on political dissent and journalists. In January 2025, Malian authorities banned the sale of the Pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique. Several French media outlets, including France24, TV5 Monde, and Radio France International, are also banned from broadcasting in Mali. Several opposition leaders have been imprisoned for criticizing the military regime.
FILE - An aerial view of Bamako, Mali, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo, file)
FILE - Mali's junta leader Gen. Assimi Goita attends the funeral of former defense minister Sadio Camara at the Military Engineering Parade Ground in Bamako, Mali, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Boubacary Bocoum, file)
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A World Cup referee from Somalia who was denied entry to the United States was received by a crowd of supporters and officials Wednesday as he arrived home in the capital of Mogadishu, where he said he plans to be at the next World Cup and urged Somali youth to be proud of their country.
Omar Artan was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament. He is one of Africa’s top referees and was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025.
He was denied entry at Miami International Airport on Saturday over “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, without giving details of the concerns. FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament's referee list.
Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya, which processed it. The U.S. is co-hosting with Mexico and Canada, and Artan was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.
He returned to a hero’s welcome in Mogadishu, where he thanked the Somali government and people as well as FIFA for their support for him.
“I promise you, God willing, that I will attend the next one,” he said as hundreds of supporters at the airport waved Somali flags. “I want the Somali public to take comfort in this and remain confident.”
The U.S.'s highly unusual move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country drew outrage across the world and raised questions among some fans about America's capacity to host the competition.
Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subject to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
On Wednesday, the United Nations’ top human rights official called for a “massive rethink” of immigration policies especially in the United States around the World Cup.
Hundreds of supporters, government officials and members of Somalia’s football community gathered hours before Artan arrived at Aden Adde International Airport.
As he disembarked, supporters waving Somali flags crowded around him before draping him in the flag.
He was then escorted by police officers to the airport’s VIP terminal, where he was welcomed by Somalia’s sports minister and other dignitaries, and spoke to journalists.
“It is up to all of us to defend the Somali name,” Artan said. “Somalia belongs to us, whether it is in a bad state or a good state. That flag belongs to us, and that passport belongs to us.”
In a country where decades of war and the rise of the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group have limited the potential of many in Somalia, Artan's denial brought disappointment but reminded people what is possible if they chase their dreams.
Artan's expected milestone at this year's World Cup “stands no matter what,” the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus — from neighboring Ethiopia — wrote Tuesday on X. “You reached the summit of your profession and inspired a generation back home just by getting there, and being kept off the pitch you earned doesn’t change that."
Referee Omar Artan, center, who was denied entry to the United States, is welcomed by supporters upon his arrival in Mogadishu, Somalia, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States, arrives in Mogadishu, Somalia, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Referee Omar Artan, who was denied entry to the United States, is welcomed by supporters upon his arrival in Mogadishu, Somalia, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Referee Omar Artan, center, of Somalia, is confronted by players after calling a penalty kick during the CAF Champions League final soccer match between AS FAR Rabat and Mamelodi Sundowns, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
