South Sudan radio unveils clip that led to closure

November 14, 2016 (JUBA) – Eye Radio, a media funded by the United States aid arm (USAID), has released excerpts from an audio clip that led to its closure by South Sudanese authorities on Saturday.

Agents from South Sudan’s National Security Service (NSS) ordered the immediate shut down of the radio, but gave no reason for this.

In a meeting with Eye Media management, security agents said the radio played a voice clip from rebel leader, Riek Machar in October.

Eye Radio, however, said it “tapped” a 28-second audio clip from Al Jazeera TV on 13 October. The station, which is off air for the fourth day this Monday, published what it described as “the exact transcript of the 28-second clip” of Machar’s voice.

“We did not see that there is an initiative from the region or the United Nations or the African Union to rescue the agreement. From our side the agreement has collapsed, or part of the government of national unity has collapsed since July events. We do not want violence,” Machar says in the clip played over Eye Radio.

The management of the radio said a meeting was due with security officials.

“At the moment, the management of Eye Radio is following up with authorities with the view to immediately resolve this matter,” reads a statement on its website.

“We will continue to update our listeners and the general public if new information becomes available or when the station resumes broadcast,” it adds.

The radio went on air in June 2010, but changed its name in August, 2012. It began as a project of Education Development Center (EDC), a US-based international non-governmental entity, with support from USAID. It is managed as a partnership between Internews and Eye Media.

(ST)