Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Juba (Agenzia Fides) - Maybe it is not the primary job of community radio stations to cover political and security issues but avoiding them altogether is "inconceivable", said Reporters Without Borders Africa, especially in a Country where civil war affects the civilian population each day. This was reported by the Catholic Radio Network. Just weeks after Radio Bakhita was forced off the air in Juba, the country's capital, Voice of Hope is now under threat in Wau. Juba-based Radio Bakhita, which is run by the Juba archdiocese, was closed on 16 August (see Fides 18/08/2014) by the National Security Service for broadcasting a report about clashes in Bentiu, in Unity State. It has since been allowed to resume broadcasting on condition that it refrains from talking about politics, while Voice of Hope has been told it will be closed if it defies orders to ignore political subjects (see Fides 01/10/2014).
According to the organization for the defense of the right to information, community radio stations are often the only available source of news and information at the local level, so by banning them is an "intolerable act of censorship".
(L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 03/10/2014)
