An independent newspaper has been ordered by security agents in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, not to publish stories on Friday.
The Juba Monitor newspaper, which is owned by a former BBC correspondent, a South Sudanese national. Alfred Taban, has been told to stay off on Friday after publishing an opinion critical of the government soldiers’ crackdown on civilians in Wonduruba payam of Lainya county in Central Equatoria state.
“We are told not to publish on Friday and our editor-in-chief, Alfred Taban, has been called to attend a meeting at the office of the national security on Friday,” a source asking to remain unanimous in fear of repercussions said.
Alfred Taban wrote an opinion castigating the behaviours of the army in Wunduriba payam that led to displacement of tens of thousands of people, with some local reports suggest that up to 80,000 have been displaced in Lainya county for the past one week of army’s random shooting at civilians in the area suspected to host rebels.
Wunduruba payam of Lainya county is home to the current government minister of cabinet affairs, Martin Elia Lomoro.
He said the aggression of the army amounted to creating more enemies to the government of president Salva Kiir, a move that is against a peace agreement signed last month.
The veteran journalist suggested army’s “rebooting” and restructuring to reflect a diverse composition of South Sudan. He lamented that all South Sudanese communities have to send sons and daughters to the army who are entrusted to propel nationalism as opposition to tribalism.
Juba Monitor is the only independent English language newspaper after the Citizen was shut down by the security in July. Citizens newspaper’s chief editor, Nhial Bol Aken, said he had to quit journalism last week after receiving a series of threats against his life.
At least 9 journalists have been killed so far and many more tortured or imprisoned by government’s security personnel for the past four years after independence in 2011.
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