The authorities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have threatened to shut down Good News Radio Station in Aweil East County over operating illegally.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj earlier in the week, the state’s information minister, Garang Zachariah Lual, said the radio has been operating for a year without informing his ministry. He said the station lacks the required standards.

 “The Good News Shortwave Radio has been operating for one year in Aweil East County without the knowledge of the Ministry of Information and Communication in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. The last time I went to Juba and inquired about the status of the station, the National Communication Authority (NCA) told me that they had denied this radio an operation license,” he said. “The shortwave equipment is too dangerous for our people’s lives and we are blaming church leaders for installing the radio without informing the government and residents around this station will be affected due to the radioactive waves.”

Minister Garang added: “I have just come to see it for myself and assess the distance between the residents and the station and then discuss the matter with the National Communication Authority so that we have to close down this radio station.”

Meanwhile, Jacob Majak, the Managing Director of Good News Radio, acknowledged the minister’s intention to shut down the station in support of a previous decision from the South Sudan National Communication Authority that denied it a license.

“The minister has repeated the same information gathered by the National Communication Authority assessment where they told us to construct a compound and that the station should be far away from residential areas. This has led to the continuous denial of the operation license,” said Majak.  “We have already cut off the broadcasts according to the directives from the minister until further notice. Our station channel is 4995 SW and we started testing broadcasts in 2022, we were censored by then for six months but the National Communication Authority has eased the restrictions.”

Good News Radio is a Good News Radio was an independent Christian radio.