Guinea’s junta government has banned four major private radio stations and one private television channel. the ministry of information said on Wednesday.

The ministry of information said the operating licenses of radio stations FIM FM, Radio Espace FM, Sweet FM and Djoma FM, as well as Djoma TV, were withdrawn over a “failure to comply with the content of the specifications”, it said, although it did not give and further detail.

The ban follows a string of restrictions imposed on the media by the junta, which seized power in the West African nation in 2021.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the situation and called on the government to stop the repression on the media.

“The repression of the media must stop,” RSF said, adding that the authorities had committed to “unblocking an already dramatic situation” for media outlets.

Four private radio stations have been constantly jammed since November, three private television channels are virtually inaccessible, and at least three news sites were blocked for several weeks in 2023, according to RSF’s website.

At the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024, the authorities also restricted internet access for several weeks and detained a press union leader for more than a month, prompting a general strike.

Guinea is ranked 78th out of 180 countries in the watchdog’s 2024 press freedom ranking.