S. Sudan security accuses media of “falsifying” restrictions on Machar as The Citizen refutes allegations of bias
June 2, 2013 (JUBA) – The headquarters of the National Security Service (NSS) in South Sudan has strongly denied allegations that it threatened and directed the media not to cover or broadcast activities related to the country’s Vice President, Riek Machar, and instead accused certain quarters of the media, including The Citizen and Sudan Tribune, of “falsifying” the story.
In a press release issued on Friday 31 May from the head office of the National Security Service in response to the publication of a news article by Sudan Tribune speaking about restrictions on coverage of activities related to Machar, the security organ categorically denied it, saying they would not do such an irresponsible act against the country’s Vice President.
Nhial Bol Akeen, the Editor-in-Chief of The Citizen newspaper and TV, told Sudan Tribune that a security officer raided his office “at gun point” on Thursday, threatening him to implement the directives that they should not publish or broadcast activities related to the Vice President.
Staff of the state-owned South Sudan TV also complained about the behaviour of some elements within the national security service, echoing the allegations of censorship on political activities related to the South Sudan’s Vice President.
The security service however distanced itself from this act, denying any thing to do with the whole incidence.
“National Security Service is cognizant of the mandate, roles and responsibilities as provided in South Sudan Transitional Constitution; therefore shall never indulge itself into activities which are incompatible with its mandate”, said the two-page statement
“The general public is therefore informed that the National Security Service has nothing to do with the said clown “security officer” nor had established any contact with the newspaper; neither had ordered any media censorship on issues related to political situation in the country,” reads in part the press release, also published by The Citizen, Saturday.
The press release further said in a meeting on Friday involving senior officials from the national security and ministry of information and broadcasting over the allegation, Nhial Bol Akeen categorically denied giving the statements to Sudan Tribune about his office raid and blamed the story on the Sudan Tribune journalist, Ngor Arol Garang.
In response to the press release issued by the national security service, the management of The Citizen on Sunday issued a counter-press release confirming that Nhial Bol truly gave to Sudan Tribune the statements about his office raid.
The Citizen management in the press release it published on Sunday also invited the public to obtain from the office the identity of the security officer who stormed the office.
“The said officer who raided The Citizen compound on Thursday, May 30, 2015 [2013] is known to the employees and to the Editor-in-Chief. Whoever wants the details of him is invited to seek such details from the management,” the press release reads in part.
“The threat to censor the vice-president, Riek Machar, is a real demand according to the argument of the officer who raided our compound”, it says.
It further pointed out that the officer who raided their compound was himself in the Friday meeting.
“The officer attended the meeting arranged between Editor-in-Chief, Nhial Bol, and senior officials of the security by the Director General of the Ministry of Information on Friday, May 31, 2013”, it further reads.
A senior official in the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) on Sunday told Sudan Tribune that he believed a small section within the national security organ that is connected to a certain top leadership may be responsible for such an irresponsible behaviour.
He criticized such elements for being naïve and unconscious about the implications of their “reckless’ actions of dividing the leadership and subverting the democratic principles”, warning that the security service may unnecessarily fragment into groups of interests, leading to breakdown of their command and network system.
He said these are few disgruntled members of the security service who do not even coordinate their operations with their superiors, let alone the minister of National Security, Oyai Deng Ajak, who was always frustrated by the behaviours of such individual officers.
“The security officers implicated in such irresponsible behaviour should be disciplined and even dismissed from the service”, he said, adding this can send a strong message to the rest.
The senior official also called for training of the security personnel, saying lack of training had also contributed to the low quality of the service.
The ongoing political debate on the future leadership in South Sudan is also believed to have caused a degree of anxiety among certain quarters of the public, particularly after the circulation of reports about frictions within the presidency about reforms and criticism on failure of president Salva Kiir to address it.
The ruling SPLM is undertaking a process of transformation in order to correct its past “failures” even in government.
These include rampant corruption, rising tribalism, overwhelming insecurity, failing economy, poor international relations and loss of direction and vision in the historical party.
(ST)