The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, 1900 to today

The record

Incidents in Africa, stage: punish, national level

Each incident is a dated action by a government, an official, a regulator, a court or a legislature that limited journalists' ability to gather or publish news.

The number of entries reflects the depth of this record, not the severity of a country's conduct.

All filters: country, dates, head of government, sort
CountryEgypt, RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180Ethiopia, RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180MoroccoTunisia, RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180Zimbabwe, RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180
ContinentAfrica
TacticDetention and violence 3Insult and defamation laws 2Secrets and espionage laws 2Licensing and closure of outlets 1Expulsion and visa denial 1Surveillance and subpoenas 1Credential control 1
StagePunish 7
OutcomeSustained 3Reversed 2Ongoing 1Upheld by a court 1
LevelNational 7
Head of governmentAbiy AhmedAdly MansourEmmerson MnangagwaKais SaiedRobert MugabeSaadeddine Othmani

7 incidents match this view.

TableCardsCSVJSONMarkdown
DateIncidentCountryTacticHead of governmentOutcome
3 September 2025Ethiopia arrests at least six journalists including Sheger FM staff over election-year coverageEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Detention and violenceAbiy AhmedOngoing (22 September 2025)
16 January 2025Tunisia's cybercrime decree pushes jailed-journalist count to highest since 1992Tunisia (RSF 2026 rank: 137th of 180)Insult and defamation lawsKais SaiedSustained
14 July 2023Zimbabwe's Patriotic Act criminalizes journalists' contact with foreign governmentsZimbabwe (RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180)Secrets and espionage lawsEmmerson MnangagwaSustained (14 July 2023)
13 May 2022Ethiopia: Economist correspondent Tom Gardner expelledEthiopia (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)Expulsion and visa denialAbiy AhmedSustained (13 May 2022)
5 July 2020Morocco: investigative journalist Omar Radi's phone is infected with Pegasus spyware and he is later detainedMorocco (RSF rank: not recorded)Surveillance and subpoenasSaadeddine OthmaniReversed (1 July 2024)
29 December 2013Egypt arrests and later convicts three Al Jazeera journalists on terrorism-related chargesEgypt (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180)Detention and violenceAdly MansourReversed (23 September 2015)
12 May 2005Zimbabwe: the High Court refuses to accredit Daily News journalists under the media registration lawZimbabwe (RSF 2026 rank: 124th of 180)Credential controlRobert MugabeUpheld by a court (12 May 2005)
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