DW Akademie in South Sudan

The media and security situation in the world's youngest country remains poor. In many parts of the country, confrontations between government and opposition groups, as well as other armed groups, occur regularly. Ceasefires are followed by renewed unrest. The capital Juba is generally quiet, but not other parts of the country. The opposition leader and former vice-president has fled the country. This casts doubts on the success of the peace treaty. Peace talks often fail.

Following the outbreak of the conflict in July 2016, the media in Southern Sudan are under great pressure. The government and the rebels are cracking down ruthlessly. Media workers are often threatened and intimidated, and in individual cases even murdered. The ruling party SPLM censors the reporting and also intervenes in personnel decisions of editorial offices. Violence is used to prevent journalists from dealing with critical issues, like the opposition parties' accusations of corruption and monopolization of power. Public debates hardly take place any more.

In this tense situation, the state has taken a hostile stance towards broadcasters that do not clearly support the government. Newspapers are often arbitrarily raided or completely shut down. Many journalists have to flee abroad. Journalist associations still openly condemn censorship, arrests and the murders of media workers. They create a certain amount of publicity on the subject of freedom of expression. However, this is risky for individuals involved.

The closure of radio stations has a serious impact on the information situation of the population. Of the eleven million or so Southern Sudanese, 73 percent cannot read or write, so radio is the only source of information for many.

Our activities

Since the German Federal Foreign Office has raised the security threat level, it is currently impossible to work in the country. Activities within the framework of the project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development have been relocated to northern Uganda and northwestern Kenya for security reasons.

DW Akademie has been carrying out work in South Sudan since 2006 and has thus been able to build up a relationship of trust with many media companies and non-governmental organizations in the media sector. However, the ongoing conflicts have forced work interruptions; the focus has shifted to supporting exiled South Sudanese journalists in Uganda and Kenya. Conflict-sensitive reporting is currently the focus of the work of DW Akademie. Media representatives from different countries are invited to joint workshops in order to get to know each other better, to question their own perception and prejudices and thereby strengthen relations between the different ethnic groups.

An important partner is the Cross-Border Network, founded in 2017 with the help of DW Akademie. The network of 19 radio stations from the Southern part of South Sudan and Northern Uganda, a region with over one million refugees, aims to provide information to those who have fled, stayed at home and the host society, in particular on flight and forced migration. The 19 radio stations exchange and cross-check information, and they produce programs together with reports from exiled journalists.

Funding: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Program Director: Sheila Mysorekar

Locations: Northern Uganda, Kakuma/ Kenya

Local partners: Cross-Border Network, Radio for Peace Network (RaPNET), Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS), Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS), CEPO, FilmAid

Main Focus: Political and legal framework conditions, professionalism and economic sustainability of the media sector, civil society lobby for freedom of expression, participation of disadvantaged population groups, conflict and media/ conflict-sensitive reporting, professionalism and networks in journalism