South Sudan dropped 15 places from 2015 to 2016 in Reporters Without Borders' yearly press freedom ranking.

South Sudan is now ranked as 140th least free country for media, compared to 125th last year.

"The already fragile situation of journalists in this young country, created in 2011, has only been worsened by a civil war that began in late 2013," said Reporters Without Borders.

"Forced by the government not to cover issues linked to the conflict, the media are very sparing in their reporting on important developments," the group said. "President Salva Kiir’s threats against journalists in August 2015 were quickly followed by the murder of a reporter, Peter Moi, who was gunned down outside his office three days later."

The group added that some journalists have fled the country because they felt they were in danger.