The Citizen (South Sudan)
Encyclopedia
The Citizen is a newspaper
based in Juba
, the national capital of South Sudan
and the state capital of Central Equatoria
.
The newspaper was first founded during the second period of autonomy for what was then known as Southern Sudan, the ten states in the deep south of the Republic of the Sudan
, in 2006. It became South Sudan's largest newspaper when the country formally declared independence on 9 July 2011.
. Newspapers can take several days to reach states like Northern Bahr el Ghazal that are located relatively far from the capital.
s to cover much of the country, with its full-time reporters concentrated in Juba and other major Equatorian cities and towns.
No official website exists as of July 2011 for The Citizen, and its articles are not regularly reprinted online
.
in which they fought as an irregular force predicated on frontier justice
. Though the South Sudanese government has positioned itself as a champion of freedom of the press
, Bol and his reporters have faced arrest on several occasions and in February 2011, the newspaper's offices were reportedly ransacked by plainclothes security officers. Bol has also alleged distributors of The Citizen in Juba have faced harassment by police.
group the Lord's Resistance Army
in April 2010. SSNA called the article's author "an anonymous coward" and decried the report as "the cheapest of all propagandas".
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
based in Juba
Juba
- Locations :* Juba, the capital of South Sudan* Juba, Estonia, a village in Võru Parish, Võru County, Estonia- People :* Juba I of Numidia * Juba II of Numidia * Juba of Mauretania...
, the national capital of South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
and the state capital of Central Equatoria
Central Equatoria
-Government:Executive*Governor - Maj. Gen. Clement Wani Konga*Deputy Governor and Minister of Education, Science and Technology - Mr. Manase Lomole Waya *Minister of Education - Lokulenge Lole Lokule...
.
The newspaper was first founded during the second period of autonomy for what was then known as Southern Sudan, the ten states in the deep south of the Republic of the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, in 2006. It became South Sudan's largest newspaper when the country formally declared independence on 9 July 2011.
Circulation
Due to poor infrastructure in South Sudan, virtually the entire regular readership of The Citizen is concentrated in Juba and its environs in the southern region of EquatoriaEquatoria
Equatoria is a region in the south of present-day South Sudan along the upper reaches of the White Nile. Originally a province of Egypt, it also contained most of Northern part of present day Uganda including Albert Lake...
. Newspapers can take several days to reach states like Northern Bahr el Ghazal that are located relatively far from the capital.
Staff and coverage
The newspaper employs close to 50 people, but only about half of them are full-time employees. The Citizen relies on stringerStringer (journalism)
In journalism, a stringer is a type of freelance journalist or photographer who contributes reports or photos to a news organization on an ongoing basis but is paid individually for each piece of published or broadcast work....
s to cover much of the country, with its full-time reporters concentrated in Juba and other major Equatorian cities and towns.
No official website exists as of July 2011 for The Citizen, and its articles are not regularly reprinted online
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
Encounters with law enforcement
The Citizen has had a history of run-ins with security officials in South Sudan, which editor Nhial Bol attributes to the lack of familiarity South Sudanese police and soldiers have with constituting forces answerable to a legitimate government espousing democratic ideals, with many being veterans of the Second Sudanese Civil WarSecond Sudanese Civil War
The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983, although it was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated in southern Sudan, the civil war spread to the Nuba mountains and Blue Nile by the end of the 1980s....
in which they fought as an irregular force predicated on frontier justice
Frontier Justice
Frontier justice is extrajudicial punishment that is motivated by the nonexistence of law and order or dissatisfaction with justice. The phrase can also be used to describe a prejudiced judge...
. Though the South Sudanese government has positioned itself as a champion of freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, Bol and his reporters have faced arrest on several occasions and in February 2011, the newspaper's offices were reportedly ransacked by plainclothes security officers. Bol has also alleged distributors of The Citizen in Juba have faced harassment by police.
Allegations of bias
The independent South Sudan News Agency published a withering critique of an article The Citizen ran under an anonymous byline alleging ties between an independent parliamentary candidate in Western Equatoria and the paramilitaryParamilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
group the Lord's Resistance Army
Lord's Resistance Army
The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...
in April 2010. SSNA called the article's author "an anonymous coward" and decried the report as "the cheapest of all propagandas".