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May 25, 2011 (DUBAI) – A Sudanese radio journalist was arrested by local authorities in South Sudan two weeks ago and his whereabouts remains unknown, his news organization has revealed.
- Sudan Radio Service Journalist Mohamad Arkou Ali was arrested on 11 May in South Sudan
The US-funded Sudan Radio Service (SRS) on Friday said that its reporter, Mohamad Arkou Ali, was snatched on 11 May in South Sudan’s town of Wau, the capital of Western Bahr El-Ghzal State, by plain-cloth security men on the accusation of taking photos without a government permit.
According to SRS, Arkou was sent to Wau on on official assignment to gather news and programs and has been incommunicado since his arrest.
“SRS attempts to reach Arkou on his mobile phone since 11 May have not been successful and no reasons have been given for his continued detention,” the radio said.
SRS said it dispatched a delegation to Wau on Thursday, 12 May, to meet with Western Bahr El Ghazal authorities in order to secure Arkou’s release but the attempt has failed.
Experts say that the absence of media laws in South Sudan, which is set to become the world’s newest nation after its citizens voted to split from the homeland country in a referendum held in January, has facilitated the harassment of many journalists.
“In the absence of well defined media laws we were like footballers playing the game without clear rules” Jacob J. Akol, chairman of the Association for Media Development in South Sudan, said in a statement issued on March 2010 against the harassment of Southern Sudanese journalists.
Also in March 2010, it was reported that South Sudan’s security personnel threatened radio staff of the Catholic Radio Bakheita and Liberty Radio FM and briefly arrested top officials of these media entities.
(ST)
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