Alastair Leithead, Board member hosts Kenya's former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga at a forum organized by the body in May, 2017. PHOTO//FCAEA

The Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa, FCAEA, has deplored the move by the South Sudan’s Media Authority to ban about twenty foreign journalists from reporting in the country.

The body based in Nairobi, Kenya calls on the government of South Sudan and the agency to stop blocking international journalist they term as “professional and experienced”  from working in the country.

The FCAEA says it is the largest foreign correspondents’ association in Africa, representing the interests of some 500 journalists and media professionals based in East Africa and beyond.

On Wednesday, the Managing Director of the Media Authority, Elijah Alier told Eye Radio that the agency banned about twenty foreign journalists from entering or operating within the country for reporting what it termed “unsubstantiated and unrealistic stories.”

Mr. Alier said that most of the Journalists prohibited from covering issues in the country have often reported stories that have the potential to incite hate and violence among South Sudanese.

He said that some of the reports do not have reliable sources or specific locations, but generalize events and people in the country.

In a statement issued today [Friday], the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of East Africa says it strongly rejects the comments made by the Media Authority.

The FCAEA says most of those barred are also members of its association.

“Some have had their applications for media accreditation rejected; others have had visas or applications for a renewal of accreditation refused. In a handful of cases, reporters were deported, or felt they were given little choice but to leave the country immediately.” the statement reads.

The body says the affected journalists are experienced professionals, nearly all of whom have previously had bylined work on South Sudan published or broadcast internationally.

It also says the majority of the journalists have covered East Africa for years and as such are some of those best placed to report with authority on the situation in South Sudan.

“Staff members from some of the world’s leading news organizations, as well as freelancers, are among those affected. The majority report in the English language,” it said.

The FCAEA says it expects the highest standards of journalistic ethics from its members, and therefore stands by the professionalism of their reporting.

It says the Journalists banned are from at least ten different nationalities working the fields of photography, print reporters, and camera operators.

The body however says, other international journalists continue to be accredited to report from South Sudan, and a handful of these are based in Juba.

The FCAEA says it wrote to the Media Authority in April, asking for written guidelines for the accreditation of foreign media, the criteria for acceptance or rejection, and the process for appeal.

“Over the past six months, the FCAEA has made efforts to engage the senior leadership of relevant agencies in the Government of South Sudan on the issue, as well as engage donors, humanitarian organizations and other stakeholders,” the statement said. “The Media Authority has not responded to this inquiry.”

It further said the blocking of these international journalists has coincided with deterioration in security in South Sudan, as well as the declaration of famine and the largest refugee crisis in Africa, which it said are “all issues of global concern.”

The FCAEA urges the international community to continue prioritizing media freedom and access in South Sudan – for international journalists and South Sudanese colleagues, many of whom it says face horrifying work conditions and threats to their security.

On Wednesday, the Managing Director of the South Sudan Media Authority, Elijah Alier said the agency will only reconsider faulted journalist who admit “they were wrong” in their writings or reporting, except those deported by the government.

Alfred Taban, a veteran journalist and the current chairperson of the communications department at the Secretariat of the National Dialogue Committee, also expressed dismay at the handling of foreign journalists by the Media Authority.

Mr. Taban wrote in his daily column -Let’s Talk -on Juba Monitor newspaper that the actions by the agency will only “give the impression that the government has something, maybe a lot, to hide.”

“The President [Salva Kiir] has assured us that all the people coming to the country especially journalists will be given full freedom to move freely,” he said. “The Media Authority law does not give this body the right to deny visas to journalists on the ground that they write articles critical of the government.”