Sudan Journalists Syndicate: 13 papers closed, Radio stations silent, unpaid wages, 100 journalists fled

#Sudanese Journalists Syndicate reveals grim impact of conflict: 13 newspapers closed, FM radio stations silent, unpaid wages since March 2023. Survey: 100 journalists fled to neighbouring countries like #Egypt, #Chad, and #Kenya. #SudanNews #SudanMedia https://t.co/oH2PVxlGT6

— Radio Dabanga (@RadioDabanga) August 10, 2023

[Ends]

RSF: Sudan's journalists must provide private info including their political views, friends, addresses, bank details and floor plans of their houses

• In a statement posted on its website, the BBC said it hoped ongoing talks with the Sudanese authorities would allow local FM broadcasting to resume. The suspension has deprived the residents of northern Sudan of one of the country’s most important news outlets

• Reporters Without Borders notes the announcement by the director-general of National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on 7 August that prior censorship of Sudan’s newspapers has been lifted. The government’s media department notified the national media of the decision, which most newspapers reported in their 8 August issues

• Sudan government official recently demanded that the country's journalists must provide private information that includes their political views, friends, addresses, bank details and even the floor plans of their houses

SOURCES: See below.

Sudan Government announces lifting of prior censorship but journalists and media still seriously threatened
Source: Reporters without Borders (RSF)
/via African Press Organization (APO)
Date: August 12, 2010

(KHARTOUM, Sudan) - Reporters Without Borders notes the announcement by the director-general of National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on 7 August that prior censorship of Sudan’s newspapers has been lifted. The government’s media department notified the national media of the decision, which most newspapers reported in their 8 August issues.

In a news conference on 7 August, the head of the NISS press office said prior censorship had been needed to combat the publication of false reports. Quoting the NISS director-general, he said some articles had aimed to destroy Sudan’s relations with its neighbours. Attempts to stir up division and inter-ethnic hatred had given the authorities no choice but to censor all newspapers, including the responsible ones, he said.

Announcing the lifting of prior censorship, the NISS spokesman thanked all the Sudanese print media on behalf of the director-general for their positive attitude towards the instructions they have received from the censors and for their cooperation with security personnel.

But he warned journalists to behave responsibly and to censor themselves on issues that could threaten national unity. And he added that the Sudanese authorities had a constitutional right to introduce partial or total censorship again whenever national stability and unity were threatened by newspaper articles.

Reporters Without Borders wonders which article of the constitution gives the security services the right they claim to impose censorship. This announcement was designed to make international observers think that press freedom is being restored in Sudan, but in fact it is a slap in the face.

Prior censorship may have been lifted, but the announcement has been accompanied by so many warnings that it is clear that nothing is going to change. The situation will remain the same and journalists will not be able to express themselves freely on key issues such as Southern Sudan’s autonomy.

Reporters Without Borders wrote recently to Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir calling for an end to censorship. Link to the letter: http://en.rsf.org/sudan-reporters-without-borders-writes-13-07-2010,37938.html.

In another example of how Sudanese journalists are kept under surveillance, the security services distributed a questionnaire to them last month with more than 20 detailed questions about such matters as their political affiliation, their home, the plans of their house, the names and professions of their close relatives and their car registration number.

Journalists who have been slow to cooperate have been summoned by security officials and questioned until they provided the required information.

The questionnaire is a serious violation of journalists’ civil liberties and is very intimidatory. When outspoken journalists are sought by the security services, they are now served up on a silver platter. They can be tracked down geographically, socially and politically. The security authorities know their car registration and the plan of their home. Reporters Without Borders is deeply shocked by this measure and worried for the safety of Sudan’s journalists.

This disturbing trend is confirmed by other recent developments. The government told the BBC on 9 August that an agreement allowing it to broadcast its Arabic-language service on local FM frequencies was being suspended until further notice. The BBC’s broadcasts were stopped the same day in four cities in northern Sudan (Khartoum, Port Sudan, Wad Madani and Al-Ubayad).

The authorities insisted that the suspension was the result of the BBC’s failure to comply with the terms of the agreement governing its local operations and had nothing to do with programme content.

In a statement posted on its website, the BBC said it hoped ongoing talks with the Sudanese authorities would allow local FM broadcasting to resume. The suspension has deprived the residents of northern Sudan of one of the country’s most important news outlets. Link to the statement: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10912871.

Sudan is ranked 148th out of 175 countries in the 2009 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.

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Sudan suspends BBC radio broadcasts
Source: Roy Greenslade guardian.co.uk/Index on Censorship/CPJ
Date: Thursday 12 August 2010 09.18 BST
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Noteworthy comment at above report from Guardian
by Sosha, 12 Aug 2010, 11:43AM:

How do you suspend a radio station? This a good argument for keeping analogue alive? (Know nothing - just curious).

Sudan halts BBC broadcasts in Arabic on FM radio frequencies - BBC Arabic in North Sudan still available on short wave, satellite or via BBC website

DREADFUL news just in from AFP and Reuters. Shortly after midnight, the BBC broadcasts on FM radio in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum could no longer be heard while other stations were operating normally:

"The government ... is stopping the BBC's FM service working in Khartoum, Port Sudan, Medani and el-Obeid and is suspending the agreement signed between the BBC and (the government) from August 9, 2010," said an Information Ministry statement published by the state news agency SUNA on Sunday.

The four locations mentioned are the main towns in the north and the measure would effectively end FM broadcasts in Arabic by the BBC in the north.

BBC Arabic in North Sudan still available on short wave, satellite or via the BBC website.

Full story below. I say, without a shadow of doubt, the Sudanese government is making a terrible mistake by even thinking of stopping any broadcasts by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Without the BBC, people in Sudan and surrounding areas would be forced to receive and share news from other sources that are not as trustworthy, accurate or professional which in the age of mobile phones and the internet could easily and quickly work against the best interests of the Sudanese people and their government.

I think it is of the utmost importance that the BBC is encouraged to broadcast throughout Sudan, southern Sudan and Chad and that all residents of IDP camps in Sudan and Chad are able to receive BBC news uninterrupted. In fact, I think that the Sudanese government ought to ensure, as a matter of urgency, that every Sudanese householder has access to a radio as soon as possible.

Nowadays, too much misinformation is flying around the airwaves and cyberspace which cannot be stopped. The only way to counteract misinformation and propaganda, and ensure there is a mechanism for averting chaos and panic, is to provide an easily accessible news service that is trusted by members of the public. The BBC is a reliable world class news source with expert translators which millions of people around the world trust and turn to for checking news reports and facts. In a war zone, radio is of paramount importance and is much more effective and efficient than television and the internet. In fact, radio, even during peacetime, is a lifeline for everyone.

As part of the preparations for Sudan's referenda and peace talks, I dearly wish that the Sudanese government would distribute, free of charge, a solar powered wind-up radio to each Sudanese householder residing in Sudan or Chad who needs a radio.

The BBC is a public service funded by the people of Britain, not the government. Each householder with a television or radio in Britain pays a compulsory annual license fee to the BBC or faces being fined or jailed. It is the only way we Brits can be sure of having a public news service that is not in the pay of government or business owners with vested interests. I have just checked my bank statement and can confirm that £12.12 is deducted monthly from my bank account to pay for my BBC license. In Sudan, people would be receiving our incredible news service free of charge. The least the Sudanese government could do for its people is to work with the BBC to expand its services throughout Sudan and distribute radios in the name of peace. Think of the children of Sudan, it is their future that is being played with right now.

Sudan to 'suspend' BBC broadcast pact
Report from FOCUS News Agency - Monday, 09 August 2010 01:22:

(Khartoum) - Sudan said Sunday it was suspending its agreement enabling the BBC to broadcast in Arabic on FM radio frequencies for reasons that have nothing to do with its newscasts, AFP reported.

In a statement carried by the official Suna news agency, the information ministry alleged that the British public broadcaster had imported technical equipment via diplomatic courier.

The suspension would take effect on Monday, it said, but it was unclear whether it would entail a halt to broadcasts.

Sudan suspends BBC broadcasts on FM
Report from AFP – Sunday, 08 August 2010 c.11.10 PM GMT UK:

(KHARTOUM) - Sudan halted Monday BBC broadcasts in Arabic on FM radio frequencies after suspending its agreement with the British public broadcaster for reasons it said had nothing to do with its newscasts.

In a statement carried by the official Suna news agency late on Sunday, the information ministry alleged that the BBC had imported technical equipment via British diplomatic courier.

Shortly after midnight, the BBC broadcasts on FM radio in the Sudanese capital could no longer be heard while other stations were operating normally.

The information ministry also took the BBC to task for training schemes in the absence of a "final agreement" with Khartoum, and for broadcasting in the southern Sudanese capital Juba without central government approval.

"The suspension has no connection at all with news broadcast by the BBC from Sudan," the statement said.
With four broadcasting locations inside Sudan, plus shortwave services, the BBC is a major source of news in Sudan, the biggest country in Africa whose population of 40 million mostly speak Arabic.

BBC Arabic radio suspended in north Sudan
Report from Reuters - Sunday, 08 August 2010 11:22pm BST
(Reporting by Opheera McDoom; editing by Andrew Dobbie) - excerpt:

The BBC's licence to broadcast in Arabic on local frequencies in north Sudan will be suspended from Monday, the government announced, citing violations by the broadcaster such as smuggling in satellite equipment.

Many Sudanese, especially Darfuri refugees in camps in the war-torn west, rely on the Arabic-language service and the British broadcaster has a long history in Africa's largest country.

"The government ... is stopping the BBC's FM service working in Khartoum, Port Sudan, Medani and el-Obeid and is suspending the agreement signed between the BBC and (the government) from August 9, 2010," said an Information Ministry statement published by the state news agency SUNA on Sunday.

The four locations mentioned are the main towns in the north and the measure would effectively end FM broadcasts in Arabic by the BBC in the north.

Sudan has often clamped down on local media but generally does not censor foreign news organisations.

The government said the BBC had tried to smuggle in satellite equipment in a diplomatic pouch, that it was working in South Sudan without permission from the central authorities and that the BBC's charitable arm was working in the country without the correct permits.

Visiting journalists often complain Sudanese visas and travel permits to conflict zones once inside the country are difficult to obtain.

All foreigners resident in the country are subject to strict travel restrictions and must obtain permits to visit many of Sudan's regions.

The BBC has previously said it was in talks with the government to continue broadcasting.

"We would be very disappointed if the Sudanese people in northern Sudan were no longer able to access the impartial news and current affairs of BBC Arabic on FM radio," it said in a statement sent to Reuters earlier.

It added the station would still be available on short wave, satellite or via the BBC website.

On Saturday, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir warned foreign organisations including aid agencies they would be expelled if they failed to respect the authority of the government.

Last month Sudan expelled two aid workers from the Geneva-based International Organisation for Migration. [...]

Photo: A British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) satellite dish is seen behind houses in west London, October 18, 2007.
Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville

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BBC NEWS IN ARABIC: BBC ARABIC.COM

See Sudan Watch sidebar for links to BBC Persian TV times, satellite position & frequency.
BBC News Arabic website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arabic/
BBC ARABIC.COM - BBC News in Arabic
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SUDANESE JOURNALISTS WELCOME LIFTING OF PRESS GAG


Sudanese journalists welcome lifting of press gag
Report from Sudan Tribune - Monday, 09 August 2010 by Muhammad Osman, August 8, 2010 (KHARTOUM) - A Sudanese journalist and a local watchdog of press freedom have welcomed the decision of the Sudanese authorities to lift pre-publication censorship against local newspapers but they both expected the practice to make a comeback soon...

Sudan Tribune journalist receives Human Rights Watch award ‎ Sudan Tribune - Monday, 09 August 2010 August 8, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan Tribune journalist Manyang Mayom was awarded for his 'commitment to free expression and courage in the face of political ...

UNMIS Radio Miraya: New drama series aimed at enlightening the public on the 11-13 April presidential and legislative elections in Sudan

Note that the national elections are provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, ending the conflict between northern and southern Sudan. The UN's mission in southern Sudan (UNMIS) is tasked with assisting both parties implement their commitments under the CPA.

Sudan: UN mission takes to the airwaves with civic education drama
From UN News Centre, 30 March 2010:

Photo: Ballot papers being transported to Upper Nile State elections logistics warehouse in Sudan

The United Nations Mission in Sudan is taking to the airwaves with a new radio drama series aimed at raising public awareness on various issues, including measures related to the ongoing process of implementing the peace accord that ended two decades of civil war in Africa’s largest country.

The series, ‘Tahed Shadjera Ardeb,’ Arabic for ‘Under the Tamarind Tree,’ can be heard on Radio Miraya, which is run by the mission, known as UNMIS. The initial programmes will dramatize themes aimed at enlightening the public on the 11-13 April presidential and legislative elections in Sudan.

The national elections are provided for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005, ending the conflict between northern and southern Sudan.

The series will also tackle other themes, including domestic violence, the reintegration of former fighters into society and agriculture.

The programmes are produced in simple Arabic and broadcast on Radio Miraya’s southern and northern Sudan programming streams at 12:08 local time. Repeats can be heard in the evening.

Radio drama is considered an effective way of promoting debate on sensitive social and political issues in a compelling way, while also reaching populations with low literacy rates and who have limited access to information because they live in remote areas.

UNMIS runs Radio Miraya in partnership Fondation Hirondelle, a Swiss non-governmental organization (NGO).

Two decades of war between the Sudanese Government and the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) left more than two million people dead and displaced an estimated four million others.

UNMIS is tasked with assisting both parties implement their commitments under the CPA.

Mayardit FM radio station launched on 13 March 2010 in Turalei, Sudan

Internews Sudan launched its fifth community radio station, Mayardit FM, at a ceremony March 13 in Turalei, Sudan.

Internews' project, "Radio for Peace, Democracy and Development in South Sudan," began in 2006 and is funded by the US Agency for International Development.

A Village in Sudan Gets its Own Radio Station
Source: Internews Network Inc.
Date: 02 Apr 2010

(April 2, 2010) Internews Sudan launched its fifth community radio station at a ceremony March 13 in Turalei, Sudan.

"The goal of the radio station is to inform all of the people that can listen to it about issues that are vitally important to them: about issues of health [and] education, issues of civic engagement around the [Comprehensive Peace Agreement], voting, all of these kinds of things," said Gordon Mangum, the Internews Sudan country director.

Mangum spoke at the launching ceremony along with the Warrap State governor, the Turalei commissioner, the state minister of information, a Mercy Corps representative, and a local pastor. About 200 local residents also visited the radio station compound for the launch.

Mayardit FM is staffed by five local Sudanese journalists. One of the journalists, David Deng Bol, manages the station as radio station coordinator.

The reporter team collectively produces five hours of original programming each week on topics like agriculture, HIV/AIDS, youth, government, and sports. They also produce a daily news bulletin about local events in their community.

"Communication [is] very, very rare [in Sudan]. No televisions. No newspaper. No nothing," said John Thuc Madut, one of the station's reporters. "This radio now is a new radio and also we can broadcast through our language. And we can first give information to the community."

The station broadcasts in Dinka, Arabic and English, the three languages most commonly used in the community. Mangum stressed that the station belongs to the local residents.

"The radio station belongs to everyone in these areas, regardless of their tribe or their political party or their religion or any other way that we talk about ourselves. It belongs to all of us together," he said. "Now more than ever, people really need civic education."

In 2005 after nearly four decades of civil war between the north and south, a peace accord was signed with the promise of elections in April 2010 and an independence referendum for the south in January 2011. The elections will be the first in Sudan in 24 years.

Turalei resident Peter Qwash Malek, who attended the radio station launch, said the broadcasting center will serve a critical role during the polling.

"It will be so important for us to have it because when the election will take place," he said. "It will need people also to get some new words or some words from outside from those people who are in far places, because, by that time, everybody will be out voting. And when there will be some questions or some difficulties that can face them outside, [they] can be simply reported to the radio station."

Planning for the radio station started nearly a year ago. The reporters received about four months of training from Internews Sudan's resident journalism advisor Sammy Muraya, an award-winning Kenyan journalist. Among other things, he taught the journalists how to produce news and produce programs.

Mayardit FM reporter Christine Akuol produces two half-hour shows each week, one on agriculture and another on women's issues. She said she most enjoys her women's program.

"We here in Dinka culture, the women, they don't have a right voice," she said. "I like so that I can educate women, to bring them, and I can empower our community so that they know the rights of the girl or they know how the best girl should be educated. "

"There are some people who say that whenever you educate a woman, that means you educate a nation. So we can really to bring up our people," she said.

Akuol said people in her community are happy because they know the radio station will give them a voice.

"As soon as we have the radio, everything will be easy. We will stop any problems between communities. We will bring them up right now. They will grow as a people," she continued.

Mangum said he hopes that in addition to the Mayardit FM reporters passing on information to the community, the local community stays involved with the station.

"We've had such a warm welcome here," Mangum said in his speech at the launching ceremony. "We already feel part of the community and we look forward to being part of your community for a long time in the future."

Internews' project, "Radio for Peace, Democracy and Development in South Sudan," began in 2006 and is funded by the US Agency for International Development.

SUDAN: Saving animals to save lives - Radio programmes advise farmers on what to do if their animals are sick

SUDAN: Saving animals to save lives
MALAKAL, Southern Sudan, Monday, 05 April 2010 (IRIN):

Photo: Indian peacekeepers help treat a cow at a mobile vet clinic at Mayom, Unity state (Peter Martell/IRIN)

As a region still recovering from years of brutal civil war and battling inter-ethnic clashes and food insecurity, Southern Sudan would appear to have bigger worries than animal welfare.

But when so many people rely on animals for their survival, improving their health and tackling rising death rates is of critical importance, veterinarians say.

“People’s lives depend on animals but the services for them are very few,” said Sukhir Singh, a vet, who runs a basic but busy animal clinic in the dusty Southern Sudanese town of Malakal, capital of the underdeveloped but oil-rich Upper Nile state.

“Most cannot afford even the drugs that are available,” added Singh, a lieutenant colonel in the Indian army, which runs the animal unit as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) operations.

Long lines of cows and donkeys arrive each day for free treatment. Their owners are in no doubt about the benefits of this service.

“I have two donkeys but this one is sick,” said Yahir Adam Hassan, who delivers river water in converted oil drum carts pulled by the donkeys. “I don’t have enough money to pay for treatment, so without help, I would lose my livelihood.”

Sudanese students help the Indian vets, who provide training for students and community animal health workers, who then take their skills to more remote areas.

Most patients are working animals – cows, donkeys, horses, as well as sheep and goats – but one young boy carries in his thin puppy for treatment too. A goat with a broken leg has its limb cast in plaster, while the dog gets an injection to kill internal parasites.

The clinic has treated more than 55,000 animals since 2006, with a second opening this February in Bor, the state capital of Jonglei, Singh said.

Wealth and death

Cows represent wealth and status for many people in Southern Sudan and are the source of regular raids and revenge attacks.



Photo: Sudanese students putting a cast on a sheep's broken leg in Malakal More than 450 people have been killed in inter-communal clashes in the South this year, after 2,500 were killed in 2009, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Southern Sudan. (Peter Martell/IRIN)

Poor or badly timed rains, combined with insecurity, have also affected animal health, with organizations now boosting efforts to vaccinate cattle in an attempt to cut rising rates of infection.

“People primarily depend on livestock for their income, and the death rate among animals has been rising steadily,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a 16 March statement.

“Drugs to treat sick animals are either prohibitively expensive or unavailable in the local markets,” the ICRC added, warning that many animals had not been vaccinated since 2006.

“In order to alleviate the hardship of both resident and displaced communities it has now become crucial to improve the health of their animals.”

It is working alongside Veterinarians without Borders to vaccinate 50,000 cattle before rains close roads to many areas. More than 30,000 have already been vaccinated, including in the remote and swampy Pibor county area of Jonglei state. The campaign is targeting four major cattle diseases, including pneumonia.

“The animals – mainly cows – are not only a source of food and milk but are also used for trading,” the ICRC said. “The loss of wealth makes it increasingly difficult for pastoralists to meet their families' needs.”

The few centres such as Malakal’s clinic are therefore highly valued.

When heavy fighting broke out in February 2009 between Northern and Southern soldiers in the town, nearby university buildings were badly damaged by tank and mortar shells, but the clinic was spared.

“People did not want to destroy this [the clinic],” said John Malak, who had brought his cow to be treated. “They said, ‘This is something that is for everybody’.”

Many travel long distances to reach it.



Photo: Waiting for a vet in Malakal, capital of Upper Nile state “I live across the other side of the river, so I had to bring my cow across by boat,” said Peter Augustine, a cattle herder. (Peter Martell/IRIN)

Mobile clinics

The team also runs mobile clinics in more remote areas, treating more than 8,000 animals over the past year.

Outside Mayom in Unity state, the vets erect a tent, and Indian soldiers and cattlekeeping boys work together to put cows into a restraining pen for the vet to examine.

“Many have problems with worms, ticks and other parasites,” said Singh, injecting a cow to kill internal worms, one of more than 280 cows, sheep and goats treated in the two-day camp.

“It takes a little while for the message to get out that we are here,” said Singh. “But once the first animals have been treated, the news travels very quickly and many more come.”

The centre also provides training for community animal health workers, who can provide basic advice to improve livestock health across wide areas.

Radio programmes also advise to farmers on how to prevent diseases – and what to do if they think their animals are sick.

Radio Erena - an independent news source for Eritrea

Source: Reporters without Borders (RSF)
PARIS, France, 11 March 2010 - via APO
Eritrea / Radio Erena: an independent news source for Eritrea

Based in Paris and run by Eritrean exile journalists, Radio Erena has been operating for the past nine months. Broadcasting by satellite to Eritreans in Eritrea and on the Internet to the Eritrean diaspora, the station serves as an independent news source for a country where press freedom is non-existent and anyone straying from the official line is severely punished. This original project is supported by Reporters Without Borders.

Watch the Radio Erena presentation video (http://www.rsf.org/Radio-Erena-an-independent-news.html)

S. Sudan: Gov't owned Radio Rumbek FM-98 back on air 5 hours a day

July 17, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The government-owned Radio FM-98 is back on air broadcasting in Lakes state since last week, after pressure from Governor’s Advisor for Peace and Reconciliation, Hon. Andrea Mabor Biar.

The state-owned station had been off-air since June 1, allegedly due to a technical problem with the transmitter. Radio director Mr. James Magok Chilim said at the time that "The problem is going to be solved in about 45 days and above."

Full story by Manyang Mayom, Sudan Tribune, Saturday 18 July 2009 - Rumbek Radio-98 back on air broadcasting for five hours a day

Last month Internews launched community radio 88 FM, the only station in Kurmuk, South Sudan

Report by Internews via Anyuak Media October 17, 2008 - In South Sudan, Community Radio Provides a Voice for the Voiceless:

October 16, 2008 (Nairobi) – Since Sudan’s 22-year old civil war ended in 2005, news has been slow in coming to the most remote regions of the country. To provide news and information and give voice to thousands of Sudanese, Internews has built four community radio stations in South Sudan and is training nascent journalists to run them. We are also planning to build two more this upcoming year.



Photo: Musa “Mosquito” Atebera, a reporter at Voice of Community in Kauda, in the studio. (AM)

“I love my radio station because it is contributing to the reconciliation of my community,” says one of the newly minted journalists at the latest station Internews has launched, in Kurmuk, South Sudan. The station, called 88 FM, went on the air this month after more than a year of hard work and intensive training. It is the only station in the Kurmuk region.

“We were able to send out a signal today when testing the transmitter, and I wish you could have been able to see the excitement on everyone’s face when they were listening to the station,” said Sammy Muraya, a professional journalist from Kenya, who is working with the Kurmuk team to help launch the station. “I was walking with Dominic (the station manager) in the market here and he had borrowed a small radio and he made sure that he told everyone we met that the Kurmuk radio station was already on air. I have to say that the people up here have been waiting for so long for the station . . . everyone is so excited!”

88 FM in Kurmuk is part of Internews’ project, “Radio for Peace, Democracy and Development in South Sudan,” which began in 2006 through a grant from the US Agency for International Development.

Internews constructed the buildings, built the transmission towers, and secured frequency allocations for the stations. Equipment such as mixers, microphones, computers, recorders and editing software soon filled the stations. Because electricity is unavailable in the region, Internews installs alternative energy sources, including solar and wind power, in all its stations. It is one of the more technically challenging aspects of building stations in Sudan, to stay on the air consistently when there is no electricity. Using alternative energy involves carrying batteries that weigh 64 kilos up steep mountains to transmission sites, installing solar panels in places where they won’t get damaged by roaming goats and cows, and establishing back-up generator systems to recharge battery cells on cloudy days.

One after the other, the stations went on the air. The first three stations Internews established, Nhomlaau FM (whose name means “Freedom” in Dinka) in Maluakon, Naath FM (“Citizen” in Nuer) in Leer and Voice of Community in Kauda, each now broadcast six days a week, a minimum of eight hours per day, in at least ten different languages, including Arabic, Dinka, Maban, Uduk and Toro.

Journalists in these very rural parts of South Sudan are hard to come by. In fact, at the new station in Kurmuk, all five staff members were recruited solely on the basis of their enthusiasm and a strong desire to learn, and they had to be trained from scratch.

“I was having just an idea about being a journalist but, where to start and where to end was not known,” said station manager  Dominic Santo Atem. “But now I have the full idea and very good tools!”

In the coming year, Internews will continue to focus heavily on training, working to build the skills of young radio journalists in reporting, production and management skills, as well as understanding their role as community journalists and the media’s role as watchdogs of good governance and democracy. 

In an anonymous survey in which Internews asked the staff about their work, they reported a deep commitment and understanding of the role media play in their lives. “The radio promotes peace and reconciliation and brings out the voice of marginalized people,” explained one reporter. “For me, being a journalist means a lot,” reported another. “It is to educate, advocate and entertain the outside world and my community.”

Since much of Southern Sudan is underserved by other media, community radio offers a vital service to the population in providing news and information.

Deborah Ensor, Program Director for Internews in Sudan, explains, “Community radio differs from state or commercial radio in a number of ways. Its fundamental aim is to provide a voice for the voiceless, run by and for the community it serves, and accountable to them rather than shareholders, private owners or government.”

As one Internews-trained journalist put it, “I am the voice for the community.”`

Here's wishing them all the best of luck.