South Sudan presidency says not formally notified of reasons for closure of Nation Mirror

Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek has declined to give an official explanation for the closure of the Nation Mirror newspaper by the National Security Service, saying General Akol Koor Kuc is responsible for answering inquiries on the matter.

Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek has declined to give an official explanation for the closure of the Nation Mirror newspaper by the National Security Service, saying General Akol Koor Kuc is responsible for answering inquiries on the matter.

The newspaper’s last print run on 3 February was seized by security personnel, who told the paper’s editor that the government had closed down the paper. However, the National Security Service gave no written order to that effect, according to Editor-in-Chief Wol Deng.  

Presidential Press Secretary Ateny Wek said he was not aware of any written or formal explanation: “I was not informed in an official way about the closure,” he told Radio Tamazuj.

According to Article 159 of the constitution, the National Security Service is “under direct supervision of the president.” But the president’s spokesman was unable to answer specific questions about the closure of the newspaper, saying they should be referred to the NSS.

Asked when the paper would be allowed to reopen, he responded, “I didn’t find out. You have to ask the director-general of the National Security.” He was referring to General Akol Kuur Kuc, one of two director-generals in the service, who hails from Kiir’s home state Warrap.

Editor-in-Chief Wol Deng said in a press release last week that the verbal order to close the paper was prompted by a misreported headline saying SPLA had withdrawn from Renk when in fact they had only withdrawn from an outlying area north of the city.

The paper apologized for the erroneous headline and published a correction. Nonetheless, the leadership of the National Security Service concluded that the Nation Mirror was an “anti-government publication” and must be shut indefinitely, Wol stated.

Today in a separate incident the National Security Service detained the journalist Jok Akur Ngaar as he was covering the South Sudan Bar Association elections. Security personnel interrupted the election proceedings and ordered them halted.

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