March 27 - April 02, 2014
Contents
Compiled by Alessandra Willsher, Media Monitoring Reporter
Media freedom and freedom of expression
- Journalists oppose new fees
- Police Officer Detained for Joining Locals in Assault On Journalist
- Uganda’s Forgotten War
- Rebel Leader Warns Against Deployment of 'Hostile' Regional Troops
- Rebels Reject the Inclusion of Uganda in the IGAD-Led Peace Talks
- Washington boosts hunt for Joseph Kony
- Politics and 2016 Elections
- How Mbabazi Fought Me Over Succession [Interview]
Media freedom and freedom of expression
State Owned Media
March 27, 2014, New Vision – Journalists oppose new fees
- Editors have come out in opposition of the new fees imposed on journalists Many believe that this new fee is an additional attempt for the government to control the media
- Journalists have complained that their wages are not adequate to cover the new fees and their other expenses
- Juliet Nanyiga, the vice president of the Uganda Journalist Association said, “We are poorly paid, where will we get the money to pay for the license, other professionals can afford to pay the fees because they are well paid,”
- The article does not outline what the new fees consist of or when they will be implemented by the president of the
- The minister stated that this fee is being implemented to clean up the profession and ensure that journalists have the proper qualifications to practice journalism - He has promised to meet with the editors of the UJA to discuss when the fees will be implemented
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/653984-journalists-oppose-new-fees.html
Privately Owned Media
March 31, 2014, International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House - Police Officer Detained for Joining Locals in Assault On Journalist
- On March 27th, a journalist reporting on a disagreement over land ownership was arrested and released without any charges
- Before his arrest David Musisi a journalist for Vision Group was assaulted by a mob of ten including police officers
- After his arrest he was rescued by the District Police Commander and released without charges
South Sudan Conflict
State Owned Media
State Owned Media did not cover any of the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. New Vision reported problems occurring in refugee camps but nothing directly related to problems related to Ugandan troops in South Sudan.
Privately Owned Media
March 29, 2014, The Independent – Uganda’s Forgotten War
- January was a tough month for Ugandans as they suffered immensely for their involvement in the South Sudan
- The truth about the South Sudan war might never be known as it has been one of the most under reported wars of our time
- Because of this lack of reporting it is unclear how many Ugandan lives have been lost
- South Sudan minister on information, Michael Makuei, warned local journalists not to report on the rebels and Machar’s side
- With no pretenses on free press, South Sudan minister said that journalists who report on Machar will be prosecuted under “hostile propaganda” and arrested
- As a result of this, the complexity of the conflict in South Sudan has been wildly under reported
- At a recent African Union meeting, a commission was appointed to investigate various crimes against human rights and other abuses committed during the war which began in December 2013
http://allafrica.com/stories/201403310123.html
March 31, 2014, Sudan Tribune - Rebel Leader Warns Against Deployment of 'Hostile' Regional Troops
- The IGAD in recent peace talks will be sending troops from four different countries into South Sudan later this month
- This deployment is in hopes of maintaining various installations including oilfields
- The leader of the South Sudan rebels Machar warned that the deployed troops could turn into hostile troops as Uganda’s had
- Uganda’s troops were originally deployed to protect institutions but quickly turned to fighting with the government against the rebels
- "The deployment would be hostile and treated the same as Uganda's army fighting alongside South Sudan's military. They have no right to deploy in our oil fields. If they want to colonize us we will fight them," Machar was quoted saying in the US-based Bloomberg.
- Machar’s spokesperson stated that they would not accept the deployed troops as they do not wish to repeat the Uganda scenario
http://allafrica.com/stories/201404011007.html?aa_source=slideout
April 1, 2014, South Sudan News Agency – Rebels Reject the Inclusion of Uganda in the IGAD-Led Peace Talks
- In a recent letter, South Sudan rebels have rejected the inclusion of Uganda in the upcoming IGAD talks in Ethiopia
- South Sudan have said they will boycott the talks led by the Intergovernmental agency on development (IGAD) if Kampala is included
- The rebels state that Kampala is playing double standards in talks and should not be trusted or included as an observer in the talks
- "It is with deep regret that, SPLM/A-[in Opposition] shall not sit at the negotiation table where Uganda is an observer because Uganda can not be oth the prosecutor and the judge at the same time" states General Gai, for the South Sudan rebels
- "The Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) is fighting alongside the government of South Sudan's forces; and therefore it's a party to the conflict which disqualifies them as a peace mediator. SPLM/A has no objection to the participation of Uganda alongside the Government of Salva Kirr's delegation", Gai added.
Politics and 2016 Elections
State Owned Media
State Owned Media did not discuss anything related to the upcoming elections or Mbabazi this week.
Privately Owned Media
March 28, 2014, Hirondelle News Agency - Washington boosts hunt for Joseph Kony
- The US recently announced it’s plans to send an extra plane and 150 Airforce special forces to help Uganda’s ongoing search for Joseph Kony
- The United States has also offered 5 million dollars for any information leading to Joseph Kony’s arrest
http://allafrica.com/stories/201403310079.html
March 30, 2014, The Observer – How Mbabazi Fought Me Over Succession [Interview]
- After three years being out of the government former Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya has come out to discuss his difficult with President Mbabazi
- Bukenya discusses in an interview with the Observer that his troubles with the President began in 2003
- Bukenya states that he believes Mbabazi started pushing him out of the government when Museveni began praising his political skills
- Through this interview he answers questions about his thoughts on the falling out between President Museveni and Prime Minister Mbabazi and his 2016 presidency bid
- To read the full interview:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201403310133.html?viewall=1
http://allafrica.com/stories/201403310133.html
ANALYSIS
This week in Ugandan media, state owned media did not report on any of the current conflicts in South Sudan nor did they report on any of the issues surrounding the election in 2016. It is interesting that they chose to exclude much of the political activity of their military in South Sudan as it is followed by much controversy.
The reports of the week were largely dominated by reports of ongoing court cases involving MPs and the appointments of newly elected MPs rather than anything pertinent to the MIGS mandate.