Radio Tamazuj is providing life-saving, reliable and independent information to the people in South Sudan and the bordering areas. In the aftermath of the 2013 conflict this information is more vital than ever. Radio Tamazuj remains deeply committed to this mission.

The Radio Tamazuj team is grateful to all the support it receives from its wide audience ranging from youth, adults and children tuning in from the most marginalised areas, to those in the refugee camps, towns and cities across South Sudan and the bordering areas. 

The management and editorial team of Radio Tamazuj wants to respond to the article published today as follows:

Recruitment Procedure

- ​The restructuring of the newsroom was a democratically agreed process that included the input from all the editorial staff members, including the two former employees.  This process was done fully at the country (Radio Tamazuj) level with all effort made to do it slowly and inclusively with support from everyone. 

- It is noteworthy that both individuals verbally resigned on the same day after hearing the news that the one was not selected for the position of Head of News Department, even though he would have remained in his current position.

No proof of intimidation and pressure to resign

- We deny that there was any pressure or intimidation by Radio Tamazuj management or its parent organization in Amsterdam to resign.  On the contrary, both individuals were invited for discussion following their resignation, but the invitation was never acted on by both.  Furthermore, FPU (Radio Tamazuj) had also in November 2017 applied, and paid for a renewal of one of the former employee’s work permit, a further confirmation that the organisation had intended to maintain him as part of the editorial staff.  

Censorship

- Radio Tamazuj strongly denies that there was any censorship by its parent organization in Amsterdam.  This particular issue was extensively discussed during a joint workshop in July and agreed upon, and signed by all staff (including the two former employees).  Both individuals had the opportunity to respond to the draft agreement before signing.

- The team of professional journalists of Radio Tamazuj continues to provide free and reliable information to the people of South Sudan and the border areas. 

Zero intimidation to sign the statement in September 2017

- When Radio Tamazuj drafted their response to the article published by De Correspondent in September 2017, the statement was written by the editors after wider consultations with all newsroom staff and signed by the senior staff on their behalf. 

- Any claims by the two former employees or any other staff that they were pressured or intimidated to sign the statement are untrue. The two former employees signed out of their own free will as senior staff of Radio Tamazuj.

- Both former staff make presumptuous statements regarding pressure and intimidation, whilst there is no proof showing this.  The facts are that both resigned on the day after one of them did not receive a position he thought he was entitled to and did not make any effort to engage through proper procedures to raise their grievances.

Radio Tamazuj Management and Editorial Team