NPC-SS Hosts Friendly Football Match to Commemorate International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

Aweil, November 2, 2023 – The National Press Club South Sudan (NPC-SS), in collaboration with UNESCO, organized a friendly football match between Northern Bhar-el Ghazal Police FC and Aweil Media FC to commemorate the International Day to End Impunity (IDEI) for Crimes against Journalists.

The match, held on November 2, 2023, at Aweil Freedom Square, concluded with a 1-0 victory for Northern Bhar-el Ghazal Police FC.

The event brought together representatives from the State government ministries and stakeholders, including UNESCO, Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Aweil.

The primary objective of the match was to foster solidarity and create an enabling environment between the two institutions. It followed a two-day training on Freedom of Expression, Access to Information, and Safety of Journalists conducted for the Northern Bhar-el Ghazal Police from October 31 to November 1, 2023.

During the closing ceremony of the friendly match, Mr. Oliver Modi Philip, the lead facilitator of the training and Managing Director of Equator Broadcasting Cooperation, expressed his gratitude to both teams for showcasing their talent and fostering a sense of togetherness through football.

Mr. Oliver commended the National Press Club for their continuous efforts in creating an enabling environment for media workers in South Sudan and promoting unity and understanding among various stakeholders to ensure media freedom and access to information as public goods. He added, “This initiative, which NPC-SS initiated last year during World Press Freedom Day in Wau and continued today, exemplifies a sense of nationalism and patriotic solidarity.”

NPC-SS, with support from UNESCO, previously used a similar approach during the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) in 2022. On that occasion, a friendly match was held between the National Security Team and Wau Media Star in Western Bhar-el Ghazal.