In July 2024, physical assaults, arrests of journalists covering anti-government protests, and incidents of censorship topped the list of threats to press freedom in Sub-Saharan African countries. IPI monitoring documented 33 violations or threats to media freedom in 17 countries. The highest number of violations were recorded in Kenya, DRC, and Somalia. State actors were the most frequent perpetrators of press freedom violations, and accounted for 81 percent of noted violations.
In Kenya, on July 16, journalist Wanjeri wa Kariuki of the K24 media house was shot in Nakuru. Though she was identifiable as a journalist by her jacket and work equipment, a police officer shot her three times in the thigh while she was covering ongoing protests. She sustained injuries from the shooting and was subsequently hospitalized for treatment. She was the third individual to be shot by the police during the anti-government protests that day.
In DRC, on July 6, elements of the DRC army (FARDC) assaulted James Palukum, a journalist for Radio Zèbre in Wanga, northeastern DRC. Palukum was assaulted three days after he published a story on military harassment and extortion at various checkpoints at the entrance to the Wanga trading center.
In Somalia, on July 6, police officials in Puntland arrested and detained journalist Said Abdullahi Kulmiye, also known as Said Nadaara, from Kasmaal Media and Universal TV. His arrest followed his publication on social media denouncing police and armed individuals’ extortion from transporters on the Galkayo-Garowe road. After being summoned, Said Nadaara was detained at the police station but was later released without charges.
In Sudan, amid the country’s ongoing civil war, on July 17 the General Intelligence Service of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) detained freelance journalist Omar Mohamed Omar, also known as Wad Abubakar, at his residence in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state. His arrest followed his criticism of the North Kordofan governor on Facebook over declining state services and the escalating water crisis amidst the civil war. However, he was released after five days in custody. Omer’s arrest and detention underscore the growing risks for journalists since the start of the conflict last April.
In Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea, the authorities shut down the internet and the telecommunications networks. On July 20, authorities in Equatorial Guinea shut down the internet and mobile communication networks in Annobon Island, a province of Equatorial Guinea located in the Atlantic Ocean. The disruption is believed to be a response to protests and aimed at silencing the dissemination of information about human rights violations on the island and public calls for accountability. In Mauritania, authorities restricted access to the mobile internet in July in response to public protests following the publication of the provisional results of the presidential elections.
Positive developments
In Nigeria, on July 8, the High Court of Abuja acquitted journalist Agba Jalingo of cybercrimes charges brought against him by a relative of the former governor of Cross River State. Jalingo had reported on allegations of fraud and exam malpractice involving the relative. In Niger and Uganda, respectively, journalists Idrissa Soumana Maiga of the newspaper ‘’L’Enqueteur’’ and Dickson Mubiru and Alirabaki Sengooba of Grace Publications were released after being jailed for several weeks.
Meanwhile, in Ethiopia, on July 14, internet services were restored in 19 cities across Ethiopia’s Amhara region, ending a shutdown that began in August 2023.
