Peace on the Airwaves
How USAID is urging peace and accountability in South Sudan through radio
“Radio is important for entertainment. It’s also about promoting understanding, dispelling rumors, and fostering a culture of peace.”
That’s Gattiek Lieth, a 37-year-old editor at Leer FM, the sole radio station for some 77,000 people living in remote Leer County, Unity State, in central South Sudan. In 2016, horrific violence during the country’s civil war engulfed communities across the state and forced the station to close. With support from USAID, the station aired its first broadcast since 2016 in August 2023.
In a country where about 70% of the country cannot read or write, radio is the most common means of communication, reaching about 95% of South Sudanese.
Yet promoting free and open journalism across this diverse and remote country can be dangerous. Censorship and threats against journalists by transitional government officials and critics of free and open societies fuel a culture of fear and self-censorship.
At least four South Sudanese news websites, blogs, and print newspapers have been blocked or closed over the last six years. Compounding an already restrictive environment, investigations into violence committed against journalists and the disappearance of journalists under mysterious circumstances can drag on for years.
U.S. priorities in South Sudan start with peace, which can be best secured if free, fair, and peaceful elections take place as scheduled in December 2024.
Promoting a sustainable and independent media is essential to creating the political and civic space necessary for such elections to be held successfully. Independent media supports democratic progress, government accountability, and transparency.
As misinformation, hate speech, and political polarization increase and as the South Sudanese people wait to see if transitional leaders will fund and create conducive conditions for holding peaceful and credible elections, radio stations are often a community’s only reliable source of accurate information.
In Kapoeta North — a remote county bordering Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda — 36-year-old Anna Loleng brings together women from her community to listen to a solar-powered radio provided by USAID. Together, they form the Lorengapwo radio listener group. A mother of five, Anna describes the power of radio to bring South Sudan’s diverse communities together through peace messages.
“In a diverse country like South Sudan, radio connects me to different cultures and perspectives,” Anna said. “It’s like a window to the world beyond my immediate surroundings. Through stories and discussions, I’ve learned that we share more similarities than differences. In a country with diverse cultures and histories, radio serves as a common ground. It allows us to share our stories, understand each other better, and work towards a more peaceful South Sudan.”
USAID has provided 5,000 solar-powered radios to South Sudanese communities and is set to deliver 2,500 additional radios in 2024.
‘We are all South Sudanese, regardless of skin color or tribal affiliation.’
Nearly 500 miles northwest of Anna’s village in Wau County, Michael Mareng manages the county’s community-based Voice of Hope radio program The South Sudan We Want. Here, too, radio plays a crucial role in promoting peace.
Michael brings in local leaders and community members to talk about how they define themselves and how, together, they can work toward a more peaceful South Sudan. With support from USAID, the program produces and broadcasts dramas, radio jingles, live talk shows, and monthly discussions on topics important to the community, including gender equality, land rights, youth engagement, and combating corruption.
Across the country, national and subnational violence, cattle-raiding, and revenge killings plague communities, pitting members of different tribal and ethnic groups against each other. Through support to local radio stations, USAID focuses on rebuilding communities suffering from conflict by forging trust between people from different communities and ethnic groups and laying the foundation for peace.
“Before access to radio programs, we harbored misconceptions about others,” one local listener says. “However, through media and literacy awareness, I have come to embrace the unifying message of The South Sudan We Want. We are all South Sudanese, regardless of skin color or tribal affiliation.”
Determined to promote peace, Michael leads discussions and workshops to build local knowledge about topics crucial to democratic societies, including human rights, civic rights, and addressing gender-based violence.
“Civic education is essential in nation-building. Through my involvement, my mindset has been transformed. I understand my roles, rights, duties, and the government’s responsibilities towards its citizens,” one 56-year-old listener said.
The station’s popularity has helped Michael reach more rural communities and has also attracted the interest of local organizations which now use Voice of Hope to promote their programs and businesses.
Building Peace through Sustainable, Independent Media
USAID has supported sustainable, independent media and the professional capacity of journalists in South Sudan for over 20 years. USAID funds equipment to put radio stations on the air, and trains journalists to conduct sound research and tell compelling and accurate stories.
USAID funds a network of radio stations that broadcasts programs in 11 languages, reaching millions of South Sudanese with accurate and reliable information related to peace, politics, economics, and health, and provides solar-powered radios to remote communities.
USAID helped Pibor FM, Akobo FM 98.5, and Leer FM reopen in 2023 after years of being offline, and is helping South Sudanese take the lead in building peace through a sustainable and independent media.
About the Author
Nicholas Acosta is the Development Outreach and Communications (DOC) Specialist with USAID/South Sudan. He previously served as Senior DOC in Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Communications Specialist in Washington, D.C., and Senior Speechwriter for former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
