Press oppressed in South Sudan
Overlooking Freedom Square in Juba, South Sudan, proudly stands a bold statue of the late John Garang, which for years has represented not only the man who led South Sudan to independence, but also the very idea of a free nation.
Today, however, the square reeks of irony. A journalist, even with official government-issued accreditation, must seek extra permission to film a square named for freedom. This is part of a larger theme which grips South Sudan: oppression of the press. As the saying goes, the first casualty of war is information. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the world’s newest country.
I had never heard firsthand a mortar explode, high-calibre ammunition piercing the air or gunships screaming through the sky. That changed the morning of July 10 in Juba.
For the better part of two years, I have been living and working in Juba. I’m there to train local journalists with Journalists for Human Rights — a Canadian media development organization.
A tired storyline in the world’s newest nation — that of entrenched civil conflict — reignited a few days before that mortar shook the earth, with a single crack of a prepaid bullet likely bought on credit; the story of a petty power struggle masquerading as an ethnic war.
Soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, clashed with soldiers loyal to first vice-president Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer. The death toll was in the hundreds. It was an eerie echo of the start of the 2013 civil war, which left between 50,000 to 100,000 people dead, and millions on the brink of starvation.
While soldiers once again drew their guns, an unknown number of civilians drew their final breaths. And the clashes sent tens of thousands scrambling into the streets, desperate to escape. Alongside these senseless killings rose a familiar perceived enemy: the free press.
John Gatluak Manguet Nhial, a journalist and radio manager working with the media development organization Internews, was killed in Juba while seeking shelter. A family representative believes it was a targeted killing. The 32-year-old father of three happened to be from the Nuer tribe.
Following the violence, one of South Sudan’s most notable journalists, Juba Monitor editor-in-chief Alfred Taban, was arrested. His newspaper, a partner on JHR’s Government of Canada-funded program, was shut down.
The day before his arrest, Taban published in his popular English-language daily an opinion piece calling for the removal of both Kiir and Machar, who, in his opinion, “have completely failed.”
Taban was charged under section 75 and 76 of the 2008 penal code, which criminalizes libel. It is clear those in power — on either side — do not fear war. They fear words. On Friday, Taban was released on bail.
The country has been careening in a downward spiral in regards to press freedom — eight journalists have been killed in South Sudan between 2015 and 2016. The toll includes Peter Moi, a reporter for the Corporate Newspaper, who was gunned down in cold blood in August 2015 following an alleged threat made by the president to kill journalists who are seen to be “working against the country.”
Reporters Without Borders ranks the new nation 140th out of 180 countries when it comes to the freedom of the press — a drop of 21 spots in just two years.
So how best should those in the international community respond to the latest death, destruction and clear violation of press freedom in South Sudan?
Many can and likely will strongly condemn the situation. That is about as useful as a pen with no ink. It creates the appearance of doing something, when in reality it is doing nothing more than scratching the surface.
With the country’s most credible journalist temporarily jailed, journalists dead and others targeted, the time has come for a heavier hand. Both national and international journalists need to fight for truth in South Sudan.
If the government of South Sudan believes in its own Transitional Constitution, specifically chapter 24, section 2, which guarantees press freedom, it must reinstate true democracy, which is built on the foundation of a free press.
A stranglehold on the media is a stranglehold on an entire country, regardless of class, creed or culture. Countries around the globe that preach in favour of a free press, we need your voice now. The international media must work to keep the story of South Sudan alive. These moments test our convictions and fundamental beliefs in regards to free speech.
I am no expert in South Sudan; I am an expat. But I have eyes and I have ears, in a country that has no voice.
Together, we have a voice, and we have a choice. Apathy? Or action? The decision is ours.
The country has been careening in a downward spiral in regards to press freedom — eight journalists have been killed in South Sudan since 2015