Press freedom still struggles in Southern Sudan

Deutsche Welle, 6 July 2011 

Southern Sudan is expected delcare
independence on Saturday

As Southern Sudan prepares to declare independence, some press freedom experts question if the new country will improve journalists' working conditions. The situation doesn't look good, says Reporters Without Borders.

A few months ago, Betty Tidio left her job with the state-owned South Sudan Radio journalist to work for Radio Miraya.

"The government didn't want stories that about it that were negative," she told Deutsche Welle, noting that her working environment has improved since she joined Radio Miraya, which is run by the United Nations Mission in Sudan and Swiss charity Fondation Hirondelle.

But the press system has undergone some changes in the months leading up to the declaration of independence, Tidio said. A system that lets journalists report officials to the Ministry of Information if they refuse to give interviews has generally eased reporters' work, she added.

The government of Southern Sudan, which rules the autonomous region ahead of its expected independence on July 9, has also recently formally registered the South Sudan Union of Journalists, which will lobby on behalf of those working in the media.

The union helps out when a journalist is accused of something by carrying a formal investigation on who did what and when, Tidio said.

Still, the extent to which the journalist lobby "makes a difference depends on whether it is willing to go to bed with the Government of Southern Sudan," Henry Maina, Director of Article 19 in East Africa, told Deutsche Welle.

Some troubling signs

Press freedom indicators in Southern Sudan do not look good so far. Reporters Without Borders in June sent a letter to the Southern Sudanese government expressing its concern on press freedom in the region.

The Sudanese public gets little in
terms of investigative journalism

The Paris-based organization wouldn't share the letter with Deutsche Welle, but Ambroise Pierre, who heads the group's Africa desk, said "there are signs that aren't encouraging," citing the seizure of 2,500 copies of the bi-weekly Juba Post by security forces in March.

The March 31 edition of Juba Post, which is published in Khartoum, contained an article on militia leader Gen. George Athor's plans to attack Juba before Southern Sudan declares independence.

"This is an indication that the state security thinks that all media must air the voice of the government," Maina told Deutsche Welle.

Press freedom groups were also concerned about the situation of Sudan Radio Service journalist Mohammed Arkou Adiebou Ali who was detained in May for taking photos without government permission. Ali, who is believed to have been tortured during his detention, left Southern Sudan after his release and now lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

This shows that "authorities in South Sudan are not difference from [the ones] in Khartoum," Pierre said, noting that it is too early to say "how the government [in Southern Sudan] will deal with press freedom."

Independence won't help press

The declaration of independence of Southern Sudan won't bring about major changes to the situation for journalists, Maina told Deutsche Welle.

Few expect press freedom to increase
in an independent Southern Sudan

Prior to the general elections in April last year, 20 journalists in Southern Sudan were arrested from January to March, he said. During the same period radio networks Liberty and Bakhita were closed for over one and half hours and other stations were forced to broadcast information favorable to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. SPLM is a political party that began as an army fighting to control the southern region of Sudan.

"News that is reported is mainly factual," Maina said, adding that "critical and investigative journalism hardly exist in South Sudan."

Germany to give a helping hand 

"The work [in Southern Sudan] starts on July 9," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle while on a June visit to Juba. 

Westerwelle pledged that Germany would help with the building of administration and security structures in Southern Sudan.

For now, all eyes will be watching to see if independence allows Southern Sudan to build up press freedom and the other structures necessary for democracy and the rule of law.

Author: Chiponda Chimbelu

Editor: Sean Sinico