South Sudan suspends UN Miraya radio

March 9, 2018 (JUBA) — South Sudanese government broadcasting agency Friday has suspended the UN-sponsored Radio Miraya FM for “refusal to be regulated under media laws”.

South Sudan Media Authority Managing Director, Elijah Alier Kuai, told reporters in Juba that the government has ordered to withdraw the radio’s frequency effective March 9, as it failed to obtain a valid broadcasting license.

In a separate press statement, the authority said they reminded the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) supported radio about the need to renew their licence in different notifications in June 2017, September 2017, November 2017 and February 2018.

“The Media Authority has suspended the operations of Radio Miraya 101 FM for persistent non-compliance and refusal to be regulated under the media laws in the Republic of South Sudan,” Kuai said.

The suspension is effective from Friday 9 March 2018.

Last year the South Sudanese authorities expulsed foreign journalists and detained others. Also, the local media experienced unprecedented crackdown after the eruption of the civil war in the country in December 2013.

The South Sudanese official stressed that the shot down does not intend to censor the media outlet but they have to observe the law.

However, he added they are monitoring it for “hate speech and incitement.”

The radio has released his written stories on the Facebook and Twitter. It also continues to post its audio stories on audioboom.com.

(ST)