WALF TV reopened after media threaten government with boycott

Walf TV is back on air, a week after its signal was cut and license withdrawn by the authorities for “irresponsible” coverage of ongoing protests in Senegal.

The license of the critical TV station was withdrawn on February 4, 2024, amidst a huge outcry.

“The signal of the Walfadjri channel will be restored this Sunday at 8pm”, announced its CEO, Cheikh Niass. According to Niass, this decision follows presidential mediation at a hearing with the parties involved, during which the President agreed to restore the license.

A press statement signed by the Minister of Communications, Moussa Bocar Thiam, confirmed the restoration, adding that the decision was out of the “habitual leniency” of the President.

The meeting between the President and the management of Walf TV, leading media and civil personalities, was called after the media in Senegal decided to boycott the government over the closure of the pro-opposition TV station.

The Coordination des associations de presse (CAP), a media umbrella group, had declared a “boycott of all government activities including the handling of its communiqués and press releases” from February 12 to 17, 2024. The group said it was going to consider a nationwide news blackout if the government failed to reopen the TV station.

The government boycott was meant to be the escalation of an earlier decision by the media to cut all links with the sector Minister Moussa Bocar Thiam, accused of having violated the rules and procedures relating to the withdrawal of media operation license.

The media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes the amicable settlement of the impasse, which has allowed Walf TV to resume serving its numerous viewers.

We commend the unity and tenacity of the media fraternity in Senegal and the unwavering solidarity it has shown to Walf TV. This is a great example of, and, for the media, given that lack of solidarity and concerted advocacy among media actors have been a major setback to the fight against impunity and an incentive for perpetrators of attacks on the media.

The MFWA salutes the gracious intervention of President Macky Sall and urges him to continue to protect press freedom in Senegal which is deteriorating at an alarming rate.