WAJSIC Publishes Landmark Report On The State Of The Media In Burkina Faso, Mali, And Niger.
PRESS RELEASE
WAJSIC Publishes Landmark Report on the State of the Media in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger
Accra, Ghana – 28 July 2026
The Whistleblowers, Activists and Journalists Safety International Center (WAJSIC) is pleased to announce the publication of its latest report, The Sahel:
The State of the Media 2025-2026, a comparative study examining press freedom, journalists’ safety, forced exile, and the rapidly evolving media landscape in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Produced by WAJSIC with the direct collaboration of professional journalists from Sahel Horizon, the report provides one of the most comprehensive assessments to date of how the media environment has evolved across the three member states of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Drawing on extensive field research, interviews, and documentary analysis, it examines the legal, political, economic and security factors reshaping journalism in the region.
The study documents the growing use of legal restrictions, administrative measures, digital surveillance, economic pressure, and intimidation against media professionals.
It also highlights the increasing challenges faced by journalists working in exile, the erosion of independent professional institutions, the transformation of the regional information ecosystem, and the resilience strategies developed by journalists determined to continue serving the public despite mounting constraints.
The report concludes with a series of practical recommendations for media organizations, international partners and institutions supporting independent journalism in the Sahel.
By publishing this report, WAJSIC seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the profound transformations affecting the media landscape in the Central Sahel and to encourage informed dialogue on how to strengthen press freedom, protect journalists, and ensure that citizens continue to have access to reliable and independent information.
The report is available from 28th July 2026 on the official WAJSIC website (www.wajsic.com) and on Sahel Horizon (www.sahelhorizon.com).
The full report, The Sahel: The State of the Media 2025–2026, is now available and can be read and download here:
https://sahelhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/The-State-of-the-Media-in-the-Sahel-2025-2026.pdf
WAJSIC extends its sincere appreciation to the journalists, researchers and resource persons who contributed to this study, often under exceptionally difficult circumstances, as well as to all partners whose support made this work possible.
About WAJSIC
The Whistleblowers, Activists and Journalists Safety International Center (WAJSIC) is an international organization based in Ghana and founded in 2021 by renowned investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. WAJSIC is dedicated to protecting journalists, whistleblowers, human rights defenders, anti-corruption actors and investigative reporters facing persecution, intimidation and security threats across Africa and the Sahel.
Through its protection programmes, the organization provides emergency relocation, safe accommodation, legal assistance, psychosocial support, digital security and reintegration assistance for at-risk media professionals and human rights actors.
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