South Sudan: Government bans Al Jazeera English media

Event

The NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported on Wednesday, May 3, that the government had decided to suspend all activities by the Al Jazeera English bureau in Juba until further notice, effective from May 1. According to the managing director of the government’s Media Authority, the English office of the Qatari state broadcaster had only been temporarily suspended due to an administrative issue with the government that should be resolved soon. According to RSF, however, the government decision followed a news report that aired in April, which accused government soldiers of attacking and killing civilians during ongoing fighting between government and rebel forces.

Context

South Sudanese journalists regularly report being harassed, intimidated, beaten, or abducted, and are sometimes killed. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) ranks South Sudan as the fifth worst country in the world when it comes to holding the killers of journalists to account. South Sudan has fallen 30 places in successive annual World Press Freedom reports, published by RSF, since the outbreak of the civil war in December 2013, and is now ranked 145th out of 180 countries.

In recent months, South Sudan's government has allegedly blocked the issuance of visas to many foreign reporters and expelled others.

Advice

Individuals are advised not to discuss sensitive political topics in public, and to avoid all protests and gatherings due to the potential for violence. Due to various security issues, most Western governments advise against nonessential travel to the entire country, including the capital Juba. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel throughout the country.