Cameroon suspends TV channel over Bongo death fake news

Cameroon National Communication Council on Wednesday suspended Vision 4, a private television channel based in the capital city of Yaounde for fake news about the death of the president of Gabon, Ali Bongo.

“Following the publication in the October 27, 2018 news bulletin of an unfounded declaration announcing the death of the president of the Republic of Gabon, the National Council of Communication (CNC) decided to suspend for a period of one-month Vision 4 television channel.” CNC said in a statement late Wednesday.

CNC said the channel has failed to respect the “professional requirements of investigation and treatment of information.”

In October, Gabon suspended Vision 4 from broadcasting in the country for six months after it announced that president Bongo “collapsed and died.”

Photos of the president and family were released days later to refute the information.

According to a statement from the Gabonese presidency, Bongo, aged 59, was hospitalized on October 24 in Riyadh, following “severe fatigue.”

He was transferred in November to Morocco to continue his treatment where, according to Gabonese presidential spokesperson, Ike Ngouoni Aila Oyouomi, he is “in a recovery phase of the fullness of his physical faculties.”