Logo of Al-Watan Newspaper. (Courtesy).

The Union of Journalists of South Sudan said on Wednesday no institution or agency has claimed responsibility for the six-month closure of Al Watan Newspaper.

The leading Arabic-language daily newspaper was shut down in December 2023 after it reportedly published a statement related to the Israel-Palestine war.

The closure of the paper prompted condemnations from media advocacy groups, including the Association for Media Development in South Sudan, which termed it as damaging to the media space where pluralism and access to information are needed most.

Journalists watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says freedom of the press is extremely precarious in South Sudan, where journalists work under constant threat and intimidation, and where censorship is ever-present.

According UjoSS leader Patrick Oyet, the case was followed up with different government institutions and offices but no one has claimed to know about the closure of the newspaper.

Whenever the group asks for the reopening of the media house, Oyet said, often tells them to wait for an ongoing investigation.

He said the journalists body has found it extremely difficult to identify the “invisible” hands behind the closure of the newspaper.

Oyet narrated that the shutdown occurred after the publication of a press statement alleging South Sudan government’s support for Israel in its war with Palestinian militants Hamas.

“This publication was put and then some security officers went and closed the paper. But now there was no writing, there was no nothing. They just came and said, never publish again.”

“Now, when you follow up this case, whichever office you go to, they say, no we don’t know, it’s not us, it’s not us but can we open? No, first wait, we are investigating.”

“We are trying to find out who has done it. So, it makes it extremely very difficult. You do not know, there is an invisible human being that is doing something but who is that?”

Oyet said they have initiated discussions in an attempt to reopen the newspaper since no one has claimed responsibility for its closure.

According to him, the reopening of the media institution will expose the unknown individuals.

“We believe that the best thing to do is to open it, because at the end of the day, the State is supposed to protect all of us. So, if it is opened and somebody again comes, whether they are trying to do it illegally, the State now can take action.”