Last week, Jonglei State authorities suspended the station operations alleging the airing of what it described as an “inciting song”.
Rumours have circulated suggesting that Mr. John played an inciting song for the Höl community, leading to the station’s closure.
Mr. John, who has been with Radio Jonglei for two years, refuted these allegations, stating his commitment to fair, community-oriented programming aimed at uniting rather than separating communities.
According to John, the song “Diet ke Duk County” and others for Duk County were published in 2023 and had been routinely played on air without prior issues.
The controversy arose when, on a Friday night last week, the management expressed concern about a song they believed was exclusively for the Höl community.
Mr. John clarified that the playlist included songs for Duk County, in line with their identity as a community radio station, similar to how it features songs for Bor County and Twic East County.
The core issue, as explained by John, was the unfortunate timing of these “Duk Community songs” being played during a period of heightened tensions and conflict between the two communities.
He expressed shock and amusement at subsequent reports from what he termed “hungry journalists” from other media outlets claiming his arrest by the NSS agents.
He found these reports “pretty funny,” noting that the journalists had not contacted him or station management for verification.
John extended his apologies to anyone affected or disturbed by the misunderstanding and the incident itself. He revealed that he deliberately refrained from speaking out until the investigations were concluded.
As of now, the temporary suspension of Radio Jonglei continues, with the community awaiting further developments following the ongoing investigations.
