CEPO to organize fundraising to rescue Al Watan, Al Maugif newspapers

JUBA – The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has said this evening that it will launch a fundraising initiative to rescue the country’s only two Arabic print newspapers, Al Watan, and Al Maugif, which have ceased printing due to lack of funds for printing.

This comes after the Al Watan newspaper editor in chief Michael Christopher said this afternoon that the newspaper was closing down after a printing press agency raised costs of printing from SSP 30,000 to SSP 100,000 per 1000 copies.

Al Maugif has not been operating since last week.

In a statement to Sudans Post, the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization said it is worried by the closure of the two Arabic newspapers because it puts the access to information in the world’s youngest country at risk.

“CEPO is worried about the closure of the only Arabic print newspapers namely Al Maugif and Al-Watan due to lack of funds for printing,” the statement signed by the CEPO’s Executive Director Edmund Yakani reads in part.

“This is a threat and a risk for access to information and freedom of expression in South Sudan especially this current moment where the country is undergoing political transitional process from violence to peace stability,” the statement added.

While appealing to the donor community to rescue the newspapers, Yakani said the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization will launch a fundraising initiative to rescue the only print Arabic newspapers in the country.

“I am seriously appealing to the donor community and persons of good will to rescue the Arabic newspapers from closing down due to lack of funds for printing. It is a human rights concern as the principle of access to information and freedom of expression,” he said.

“CEPO will attempt to organize fundraising for the two printing Arabic newspapers in South Sudan. They are accurate and quality based Arabic newspapers,” he added.

In January, the CEPO warned that the media industry in South Sudan was facing financial challenges which it said impacted negatively on their work, saying that its civic space watch program observed that many media houses even closed shop due to financial difficulties.

“The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization’s program, civic space watch, realized that financing news media outlets in South Sudan is becoming problematic and this has impacted negatively in sustaining news media outlets,” CEPO said in a statement in January.

“News media is sometimes called the ‘Fourth Estate’ or the fourth branch of the government. It is true since free and independent news media allows the public to make informed decisions and holds leaders accountable,” it added.

Yakani stressed at the time that South Sudan is facing a political transition aimed at moving the country from violence to peace through the implementation of the revitalized peace agreement and requires robust news media outlets.

“The low rate of investment in the news media (industry) in South Sudan is making most news media outlets close or lose professional journalists. This means a low trigger for public motivation for civic engagement,” Yakani said.

“Financing the news media outlets right now in South Sudan is essential for creating space for effective civic engagement on the political transitional processes, especially constitution-making, transitional justice, institutions, and legislative/policy reforms,” he added.