Juba—1 September 2023, the Association for Media Development In South Sudan (AMDISS) has wholeheartedly welcomed the reopening of a community radio station in Leer County of Unity State to help disseminate crucial information not only to the people in Leer County but also to the surrounding communities.
The reopening of the Leer FM formally called Naath FM by USAID has come at a critical time as the country prepares for general elections at the end of the transitional period late next year in 2024.
AMDISS acknowledges that the media as the fourth realm of the state, has an important role to play in creating awareness about current affairs, participating in civic education of the population on the electoral laws, and giving an equal platform for competing political candidates to share their divergent opinions on issues of policies, national interest, and receive feedback from the informed voters before and after the elections.
On this note, AMDISS applauds the USAID for its generous support to the media sector in South Sudan. The reopening of this radio station has brought smiles back to the people of Leer County as it happens exactly 10 years after it was destroyed by the 2013 war.
The Chairperson of the Executive Board of AMDISS, Koang Pal Chang describes the reopening of Leer FM as an honor to Journalist John Gatluak who was killed during the 2016 war in Juba.
“Late John Gatluak who was killed in the 2016 violence in Juba was one of those founders of Leer FM formally known as Naath FM. Leer is also the hometown of the late Gatluak, so the reopening of the radio station is an honor to our colleague Gatluak. Therefore, the radio in Leer is now a symbol of the defense for press freedom in South Sudan,” Pal said.
AMDISS is a member-based media organization in South Sudan formed in 2003 to work towards creating an enabling environment for media freedom through advocacy and dialogue with stakeholders. For more information on this press release, contact us at [email protected] or call +1192281441.
