JUBA – Media advocates in South Sudan marked World Press Freedom Day on Sunday with a plea for better protection of journalists, following a report showing a further decline in the country’s media environment.
The 2026 World Press Freedom Index, released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ranked South Sudan 118th out of 180 countries.
The Union of Journalists in South Sudan (UJOSS) urged the government to end the harassment of reporters and create a safer legal framework for independent media.
Separately, in the town of Akobo, hundreds of residents held a rally protesting the planned closure of a United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) base, citing fears that the withdrawal of peacekeepers would lead to a security vacuum and renewed communal violence.
