South Sudan’s Warrap State government has initiated investigation
into the death of a local journalist nearly four years later.
Late journalist Marko Agei Makor aged 24, was killed on July
1, 2020, in a road attack by unknown gunmen while visiting his family in a
village from Tonj town, where he worked for a local radio station, Door [Peace]
99.9 FM.
State governor Kuol Muor Muor formed a five-member
fact-finding committee on Thursday to investigate the July 2020 killing of a
journalist in Tonj South County to bring the perpetrators to justice and establish
the motive behind the killing of a journalist.
" I Col. Kuol Muor Muor, Governor of Warrap State, do
hereby order for the formation of a fact-finding committee on the death of
journalist Mr. Marko Agei, who was killed in Tonj South County,” the order
reads.
The investigative team includes Albino Adhar Deng, Chairperson
deputized by John Laal Chol and journalist Daniel Mareng Wek as secretary. The two
members include the director of national security and a director of the
criminal investigation department (CID) of Tonj South County.
The committee is tasked to identify the culprits, recommend
possible action, and report the findings to the governor within 30 days.
The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) applauded the
state for initiating investigation into the journalist’s death. The Union’s
president Oyet Patrick commended the governor for upholding the values of
inclusivity, transparency, accountability, and human rights by including a
journalist in the investigative team.
“The move by the state government is a significant step
towards ensuring accountability and justice for the media fraternity in South
Sudan,” said Oyet.
As he advocates for justice for all the other journalists,
Oyet said the union stands ready to provide any support to the fact-finding
committee to ensure that justice is served.
“This should also mark the beginning of investigation into
the death of other South Sudanese journalists who were killed while doing their
job,” he stated.
For the first time, the death of a local journalist is under
investigation in South Sudan. This follows the national government’s investigation
into the death of Allen Christopher, an American-British journalist, who lost
his life in a crossfire during the fighting between the government and
opposition forces in Kaya, South Sudan.
Union of Journalists of South Sudan’s record indicate that at
least12 journalists 11 South Sudanese nationals and one foreigner have been killed
in South Sudan since 2012 and have never been served justice. Most of them are
recorded to have been killed by unknown gunmen.
Out of 12 journalists, the government of South Sudan only
investigated the killing of a foreign journalist, Christopher Allen due to a
pressure from the western government and the family of the late. In March 2024,
the government released a report establishing that Allen was killed by a crossfire.
Press freedom in South Sudan remains under threat with
journalists constantly harassed, intimidated, threatened, and detained according
to media watchdog.
The country ranks 139th out of 180 in the 2021 World Press
Freedom Index, indicating significant challenges.
