Conflict reporting in Sudan and South Sudan border media

By Lisa Clifford

In 2012, relations between South Sudan and Sudan were poor – at times bordering on war. An IMS pilot project intended to ensure that media working in the border states where tensions are highest could safely report on the conflict without inflaming it

The murder late last year of South Sudanese reporter Isaiah Diing Abraham Chan Awuol has renewed debate over whether the world’s newest nation is a dangerous place for journalists.

The motive behind the December shooting of opinion writer Awuol, who had called on the government to improve relations with Sudan and stop supporting Sudanese rebel groups, is unknown, but journalists attending a recent training on conflict-sensitive journalism (CSJ) organised by International Media Support said journalists are under threat in South Sudan.

“It depends on what type of journalism you do [as to how much risk you face], but those who work with the independent media have an increased level of danger,” said one participant.

Responsible reporting on conflict

Relations between South Sudan and Sudan were poor – at times bordering on war – in 2012 and the IMS training was a pilot project intended to ensure that media working in the border states where tensions are highest could safely report on the conflict without inflaming it.

Journalists from Unity, Warrap and Northern Bahr al Gazal states travelled to the South Sudanese capital Juba to attend the five-day seminar along with two aspiring reporters from Sudan’s South Kordofan now living across the border in the Yida refugee camp.

One key element of the CSJ training was a day-long safety and security course which included practical tips on first aid including breaks and bleeding but also sessions on understanding and assessing risk.

Hate speech and the power of words

The power of words like martyr, terrorist and insurgent was discussed and analysed, and the trainees reviewed the use of language in Khartoum’s al Intibaha, the best-selling newspaper in the north which calls for the severing of all relations between north and south.

Difficult to challenge authorities

The trainers, UK media specialist Lisa Clifford and Khartoum-based journalist Ayman Elias Ibrahim, held a mock press conference playing government ministers announcing a major infrastructure project, encouraging the trainees to question difficult politicians.

However, it was the concept of balance and impartiality–  a key element of conflict-sensitive journalism – that generated the most debate. The journalists, particularly those working for government media outlets, admitted that challenging the authorities by offering a balanced point of view was easier said than done in South Sudan. The country lacks media laws and is ruled by politicians who have so far reacted badly when criticised in the press.

Ibrahim confirmed that Sudanese journalists worked under similar constraints including intense pre-press censorship and stringent restrictions on stories that include the southern point of view.

The training was organised in partnership with the Dutch-based media development organisation Free Voice which operates Radio Tamazuj, an innovative shortwave station broadcasting in the Sudan-South Sudan border regions.