Kemo Cham, AfricaNews reporter in Dakar, Senegal Photo: Henrik Stabell
Eritrea is ranked at the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index released on Tuesday. The country has remained at the bottom for the third time in a row in the index's eighth year.
According to the report by the Reporters Sans Frontieres, a number of African countries, among them Ghana, Mali and South Africa, which occupies respectively 1, 2 and 3 at continental level, have been among others that have seen democratic values and respect for freedoms guaranteed to their citizens. Ghana plunged to a commendable global 27 position, from 32, last year; Mali ranking 31, from 34 last year; and South Africa ranking 33, from 38 last. Namibia is at 36th and Cape Verde at 44th. These are the very same crop of countries that occupied the same leading positions.
Eritrea which stood at the 175th position was ranked with countries like Syria, Vietnam, Cuba, Burma, Iran, and North Korea. Eritrea does not tolerate the independent media and has a record of 30 journalists in detention.
Somalia at the 164th position has served more as a grave yard for journalists, with a record six journalists killed within the first half of this year. Also sharing the bottom of the list with Eritrea on the continent are Rwanda, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan and DR Congo.
The Secretary-General of the Reporters Sans Frontieres, Jean-François Julliard, stated: “Press freedom must be defended everywhere in the world with the same energy and the same insistence.”
Political crisis
In other countries, political crises and instability were responsible for low performance, leaving media practitioners caught in the middle. Madagascar, for instance, at 134th, fell 40 places down as a result of the confrontation between the country’s political heavyweights. Censorship and constant violent attacks on media premises, as well as the death of a journalist while covering a demonstration, were responsible for the poor performance of the country. Other countries that fell in similar circumstances include Gabon, at 129th; and Congo, at 116th, fell 24 places.
The release stated that the situation was relatively calm this year in Guinea, which fell at 100th, until the reported massacre of 28 September, which was followed by open threats against journalists.
The report made a comparison between two West African nations for the worst performance in the sub-region, Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh and Niger’s President Mamadou Tandja. Niger, at 139th, fell nine places, two below Gambia, which remains at the same point from last year, at 137th.
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