Jonglei State, South Sudan
May 26, 2022 — Radio Jonglei resumed operation again after it was shutdown by the state government last week, the Chief Executive Officer confirmed.
In a statement obtained by Nyamilepedia this morning, Tijwog Agwet has confirmed that the state minister of information has lifted the suspension yesterday and handed back the confiscated keys to the station.
“Yeah, it opened yesterday [Tuesday]. The minister ordered the reopening on Monday but I was late to go and get the keys, so I went yesterday [Tuesday] morning and picked up the keys and opened the radio,” Agwet said in a statement obtained by Nyamilepedia.
The reopening of the radio station puts an end to a week-long dramatic spat between the media, the state government, and the media regulators.
Last week, Radio Jonglei was placed on an indefinite suspension by the state government after allegations that it censored an SPLA Day speech by Governor Denay Chagor.
Government spokesperson John Samuel Manyuon accused the station of not adhering to the news bulletin protocol and undermining the state leadership.
Manyuon claimed that the station intentionally infringed the government protocols during the 16 May Day celebrations.
The Media Authority, a body tasked with mediating issues between the government and the media, wrote to the state government demanding a prompt reopening of the radio station.
Meanwhile, the CEO Tijwog came out to apologize to the state authorities and dubbed the issue as a mistake.
He then suspended four of his staff members John Achiek Mabor, Majok Guet, Matuor Mabior and Editor-In-Chief Deng Gai, pending an investigation.
The suspension was protested by the Union of Journalists in South Sudan which called on those behind the shutdown to lift the suspension or risk being sued in court.
Meanwhile, Agwet has now revealed that the matter has been solved amicably.
He says four staff that he suspended following the closure of the station have been reinstated with the exception of one person.
“We have already finished the investigation with the exception of one person who is not here, he is in Juba. But the rest, we finished their investigation and they are now back to work,” said Agwet in the statement.
He also said he made the editorial board apologize before reinstating them to work.
The Radio Jonglei was founded in 2010 as part of the network of community radio stations across the country.
It is the first local radio station in the state and was supposed to be independent and owned by the community.
