Arresting Journalists in Wau was a Big Blunder
3 min readReflection on report of the arrest of 4 Journalist in Wau, South Sudan
By Nyan Nyiir
If the report I am hearing about the arrest of 4 journalists in Wau by the security personnel over the El Jazeera video footage that went viral around the world showing SPLA soldiers shooting at peaceful protestors is confirmed true, then we are to be ashamed of our system.
If anything, we should think about the headlines that will come about this arrest from the El Jazeera hearing that South Sudan has arrested some journalists because they want to know who videotaped the protest and handed the video to the international media. If the government wants to challenge the video aired by El Jazeera news, it has the right to do so, but not arresting people in South Sudan. It should go after El Jazeera and clear its name and image, period.
By overturning that negative picture the world saw into perhaps a peaceful one, I think the government should release those individuals they have arrested and avoid any further damage to its leadership. For God’s sake we are not even done with the late Journalist Isaiah Abraham case, and yet we have started a different debate already. What is really going on? Where is this narrow-minded mentality of fear and autocracy coming from? How could we move away from such pity activities and report what really distresses the nations?
The truth of the matter of Wau incident, in my judgment, is that the damage is already done: nothing can bring back the lost lives, period! The government should be focusing on how to overcome such incidents from happening again.
Presently, the government should rather be thinking about what could prevent the Wau residents from going out on the streets and protest again over the arrest of their journalist who may have shed light into an injustice in the making. I don’t know really but I am frazzled about the future of the country that says in its constitution that it promotes freedom of expression but in action it’s against it.
What wrongs has the journalist done if any but to let the world know something is wrong and it needs fixing? It wasn’t even the world attention that was needed but our leadership. Somewhere, somehow I feel our leaders are too busy focusing on unworthy things. By the time they realize they wasted time, it might be too late to change direction.
By then, all will be hardheaded and each and every individual in South Sudan will have an agenda of its own. Unity, peace, prosperity, and freedom, will only be words of the past; propaganda devised to gain independence from the North with false hope for the citizens of South Sudan. But we do not want that to be the case; we want citizens to have faith in their government.
And for the government to regain and to enjoy the trust of the wananchi, it needs to listen to its citizens and meet the crucial concerns of the people. It needs not create intimidation for those who are outspoken about the truth and what matters in the country such as Journalists and other writers.
May our heavenly father look down upon our country and give us hope for a better tomorrow because hope is the only thing that keep an individual moving forward even if, and when, all looked disheartened!
You can reach the author through her email address: Nyan Nyiir nyannyiir@yahoo.com
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