France "uses the media to wrap people in its propaganda," the publishing director of the Burkinabe newspaper Éclair Info, Daouda Sawadogo, told Sputnik Africa.
Burkina Faso, as well as Mali and Niger, "have understood this game," and the "propaganda has been exposed," Sawadogo explained, commenting on Ouagadougou's suspension of the French media outlet TV5 Monde.
Paris is having "difficulty digesting" its departure from the three countries and is "trying to get back in" by "using perfidy," he stressed.
"If you say things that are not true, we'll suspend your media or withdraw your publishing license, and that's it," he said.
France, which had a military presence in the three countries, did not provide security, and the African nations asked for the departure of "various French forces," Sawadogo recalled.
"The security crisis that these three countries are experiencing has revealed France's incompetence and inability to solve certain problems, such as certain crises that are really related to terrorism," he explained.
France risks the suspension of its media if it "persists in this policy of wanting to return by force," he noted.
"Information and communication are very important in a country, especially when it's in crisis. In Burkina Faso, communication is very important," the publishing director highlighted.
According to him, a country cannot remain sovereign without controlling the content of various media.
'Not Even Comparable'
Commenting on Russia's supply of military equipment to the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States, Sawadogo stressed that the amount of equipment delivered by Russia was "not even comparable" to that of France in 10 years.
"Since the beginning of the security crisis in these countries, it's Russia that seems to be the partner that has provided material support for the moment," Daouda Sawadogo explained.
"Even though the weapons we're buying from Russia are not gifts, I think it's the country that has been in favor of providing these countries with the military equipment they need to fight terrorism," he added.