South Sudan (UNMISS) Media & Spokesperson Unit Communications & Public Information Office MEDIA MONITORING REPORT
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United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Media & Spokesperson Unit Communications & Public Information Office MEDIA MONITORING REPORT FRIDAY, 08 NOVEMBER 2013 SOUTH SUDAN Kiir to appoint ex-rebels into government positions (Sudantribune.com) Media warned: register or face closure (Eye Radio) Security in Pibor: armed men cause panic (Sudantribune.com) South Sudan blames LRA for deadly attacks (VoA News) LRA attacks kill two in Western Equatoria State (Radio Miraya) One person killed as suspected LRA rebels attack Ezo County (Gurtong) Unity State court plans to ban women, irls from chewing bubble gum (Eye Radio) Haforere residents abandon homes over inter-clan conflict (Emmanuel Radio) Journalists‟ body gets new executive members (Gurtong) Catholic Radio Network reviews challenges (Catholic Radio Network) Rise in commodity prices caused by poor road network (Gurtong) South Africa to support South Sudan development (Sudantribune.com) Power cuts to continue for another 10 years (Bakhita Radio) Government needs electricity to address unemployment (Emmanuel Radio) OTHER HIGHLIGHTS Sudanese rebels tell world to „wake up‟ to war (Reuters) LINKS TO STORIES FROM THE MORNING MEDIA MONITOR Akobo County Commissioner denies youth mobilizing for raid (Sudantribune.com) Disarmament must be conducted in payams hiding weapons – official (Sudantribune.com) Wau police arrest most wanted criminal (Voice of Hope) Locals in Unity State blame oil companies for not doing enough to protect environment (Sudantribune.com) Rumbek FM presenters under threat file police case (Catholic Radio Network) Taha – Relations with South Sudasn progressing rapidly for the better (Sudan News Agency) NOTE: Reproduction here does not mean that the UNMISS Communications & Public Information Office can vouch for the accuracy or veracity of the contents, nor does this report reflect the views of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Furthermore, international copyright exists on some materials and this summary should not be disseminated beyond the intended list of recipients. Highlights Kiir to appoint ex-rebels into government positions Sudantribune.com Juba, 07/11/13 - South Sudanese president Salva Kiir is expected to appoint to ministerial and advisory positions former rebels who heeded to amnesty calls to abandon rebellion against his government, a highly-placed government official told Sudan Tribune on Thursday. The deal, according to the government official, will see two politicians loyal to the former rebel groups appointed to ministerial positions while another two will be offered advisory roles in the central and the state governments. The politicians to be appointed to ministerial and advisory positions will be from Western and Northern Upper Nile states where the rebels were active. "They will have one advisor at the central government. This has already been agreed and details about who would be appointed at the state level is being worked out,‟‟ the government official said. The official said Gordon Buay, a spokesperson of the former rebel groups, will be appointed an advisor on youth in the central government. "So far, Gordon Buay has been nominated to fill the post of advisor on youth empowerment,” the source who is informed about the behind- the- scene ongoing negotiations, said. Additionally, the deal will also see the government integrating into the Sudan People‟s Liberation Army (SPLA) five Major Generals, six Brigadier Generals and 15 Colonels. Fighters previously belonging to the former rebel groups, according to the official, will be screened and those found to be physically fit will be integrated into the army while others will be sent to the national police, wildlife and the fire brigade. All this will reportedly be done before the end of this year. The official source did not specify which groups would be integrated, although some military sources said the process targets “all the armed groups” that responded to the presidential amnesty extended by Kiir. President Kiir gave an amnesty to all rebel groups fighting his administration. In April 2013, the president issued another general amnesty. Among those who responded to the amnesty were Bapiny Monytuil and Johnson Uliny of the South Sudan Democratic Movement (SSDM), an armed group which was launched by George Athor Deng in 2010 after the Sudan People‟s Liberation Movement (SPLM) declined to support his candidature in Jonglie State. Deng was one of the more than 300 senior officials the SPLM disowned before elections after failing to concede in favour of the official nominees. He was later killed in December 2011 under unclear circumstances at South Sudan border Town of Morobo County in central Equatoria. His fighters who were under the command of Peter Kuol Col were later integrated into the SPLA. Independent analysts say the deal between the government and the former rebels has left out some groups, which abandoned rebellion after the presidential amnesty. (Back to Top) Media warned: register or face closure Eye Radio Juba, 08/11/13 - The Minister of Information and Broadcasting has warned that media houses which are not registered that they will be shut down. 2 Honorable Michael Makuei Lueth said that it is difficult to administer the more than ten printing presses in the country because they are not registered. Speaking to media in Juba yesterday, the Minister said that all the journalists who are operating in South Sudan will be required to resubmit all their credentials to the Ministry of Information. All the journalists must submit their credentials for review. There are some who are operating without. And anybody found to be operating without, and any media house found to be operating without, must get prepared.” Minister Makuei Lueth said that new journalists‟ identity cards will be issued and anyone found with an old identity card will not be allowed to work as a journalist. He said that the government will assess credentials to make decisions on who will be registered as a journalist. “It‟s not a question of me knowing how to read and write that I qualify to be a journalist,” he said. “It is high time for us after this to regulate everything.” As well as registering as a media house, printing presses must also be registered the Minister said. He also urged all those working in the media not to exploit what they may see as the vacuum created by the lack of a Media Authority. “In our field, it is our duty to ensure that whoever operates here in this field of information and media is registered,” he said. “We will continue to manage it up to the establishment of the Media Authority. When the media bills are out they will be – the Media Authority will be established, and it is the Media Authority that will manage all this. In the absence of the Media Authority, we will continue to manage this process until time comes when it is handed over to the Media Authority.” South Sudan is operating without a media Law that govern the work of media houses. Last week. President Salva Kiir returned the bills to the Assembly for amendment. (Back to Top) Security in Pibor: armed men cause panic Eye Radio 08/11/13 - Twic East Commissioner Dau Akoi has told Eye Radio that there are reports of an increased security threats, following the movement of unknown gunmen in the area. Yesterday County authorities reported new clashes between a small force of the SPLA and a group of alleged rebel fighters in Pakeer Payam. “The rumors is still spreading we are told that these people are again are coming in big groups, “Commissioner Dau Akoi said “Sometimes they are seen by the people traveling or by UNMISS.” Commissioner Dau Akoi is urging the UNIMISS to provide detective security measure to protect the civilians “People in Bugo and Pibor and Likaungole – they confirm that these people have left again and they are heading towards Twic East, Duk, Uror and Akobo. That means all of us are left. That‟s why we are asking for UNIMISS to detect the movement of the militia, we are still requesting the protection of unimiss inTwic east.” (Back to Top) South Sudan blames LRA for deadly attacks VoA News Juba, 07/11/13 - South Sudan has deployed hundreds of soldiers to Western Equatoria to root out Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) fighters suspected of carrying out deadly attacks in the state this week, army spokesman Philip Aguer said Thursday. "There is no other enemy that we are suspecting in the region. It is only the LRA," Aguer told VoA News. Some 500 South Sudanese soldiers have been deployed to the region to track down the LRA and protect locals, he said. 3 Officials said two people were killed in the raids in Ezzo and Tamburo counties, and an unknown number abducted. The attackers also looted property, officials and residents said. Anglican Bishop John Nzawo of Ezzo diocese said one of the attacks happened in "the small village of Naazinga, which is one-and-a-half miles from my diocesan premises." "One person was killed on the spot and properties have been destroyed and looted. One person was severely injured and he was taken to hospital," Nzawo said. The attacks, which Nzawo said sent terrified locals fleeing into the bush, came hard on the heels of raids in neighboring Central African Republic (CAR), which have also been blamed on the LRA. Western Equatoria's Minister of Information Charles Kisanga said South Sudan has been on "high alert" for an LRA attack. The notorious rebel group is reported to have taken advantage of instability in CAR after the violent coup in March that ousted president Francois Bozize, and regrouped. "There have been reports of LRA activities around the border areas due to the fact that the new government in Central Africa is not very cooperative in dealing with these matters, and they were left to start regrouping.