In humanitarian settings like South Sudan, information is as vital as food, water, and shelter. Yet, amid ongoing funding cuts across global emergency responses, one of the most critical – and often overlooked – lifelines is being threatened: community radio.
How aid cuts have affected journalists and journalism in South Sudan are just one of the sweeping impacts on people and programmes we heard about in a roundtable discussion organised by the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform and the University of Juba on 14 May 2025. We assembled government actors, academics, development partners and journalists to share observations on the impacts of recently announced cuts to global aid funding by western governments in South Sudan amidst increasing insecurity and other complex challenges.
This blog draws on the insights from three of the meeting participants from leading independent media organisations: Sarah Poni Subandrio (Acting Executive Director, Community Engagement Network (CEN)), Stephen Omiri (Chief Executive Officer, Eye Radio) and Chris Marol, (Chief Executive Officer, The Radio Community (TRC)).
Radio: a lifeline for dialogue and inclusion
For many communities affected by crisis, radio remains one of the few reliable and accessible platforms for communication. In regions with limited internet access, poor mobile coverage, or high illiteracy rates, radio becomes more than a tool—it is a lifeline. It is a trusted voice that reaches into homes, camps, and remote villages, providing people not only with updates on services and safety information but with something even more powerful: the ability to be heard.
Radio platforms create a unique space for two-way communication. They do not merely broadcast messages; they foster dialogue. People can call in, send messages, or participate in local programs to raise concerns, report issues, or share feedback directly with humanitarian responders or local authorities who participate as guests. This kind of engagement helps shape more responsive and effective aid.
For example, in South Sudan, community members have used radio shows to report food distribution problems, alert authorities to protection risks, or even share coping strategies during periods of displacement. In one instance, a women-led radio segment on Community Engagement Network provided vital information about where survivors of gender-based violence could find help—services that many listeners hadn’t known existed. During recent outbreaks of mpox, malaria, COVID-19 and cholera, Eye Radio has worked with the United Nation’s children’s agency, UNICEF, to share information and counter mis- and dis-information.
The impacts of funding cuts on journalists and media houses
Now, funding cuts are putting this vital infrastructure at risk. When radio programmes are scaled back or shut down, it’s not just a few missed broadcasts, it’s an entire communication ecosystem breaking down.
For years, independent media outlets have relied on foreign assistance through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The abrupt US government decision to halt USAID-funded projects globally has left 60% of South Sudan’s media sector at risk of collapse, according to the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS), a membership-based media advocacy and training organisation devoted to developing profession journalism.
Many media houses have been affected, resulting in mass staff layoffs. Since January 2025, The Radio Community has ended the contracts of 19 people, 26% of the organisation’s staff, reducing the workforce from 72 to 53. At Eye Radio, 14 staff have been laid off from a 47-person workforce, and the next phase of layoffs will see another 21 staff, including journalists, departing by the end of May. Only 12 staff will be left: six journalists and six support staff, which will substantially hamper Eye Radio’s capacity to report comprehensively and deliver life-saving information.
Another strategy has been to reduce salaries to the bare minimum to incentive essential staff to stay, but this is hardly sustainable. Most journalists were already making significant financial sacrifices to support their families. The cuts since have had a direct impact on journalists and their immediate dependents, who depend on their source of income.
Operations have been affected. Eye Radio, for example, has had to suspend certain programmes and reduce coverage in remote areas of the country.
According to the President of South Sudan’s Union of Journalists, Patrick Oyet, “Without funding, media houses won’t be able to sustain their operating expenses, buy fuel for their generators, or pay their staff, which may ultimately force them to shut down.”
These types of hardships and uncertainties have left journalists demotivated. Now people are deserting journalism and taking on roles as communication officers with international NGOs and with oil companies, which they believe can better pay their staff — and do so in US dollars.
In a country where civic space and freedom of expression are shrinking due to ongoing harassment of journalists, censorship, intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and controlled access to information, the recent funding cuts contribute to what Patrick Oyet describes as a “darkening sky for South Sudan’s independent media”.
Impacts on humanitarian response
According to Ayaa Irene, Director of the Association for Media Development in South Sudan (AMDISS), community radio stations, which serve as lifelines in remote areas, have been particularly affected, with many forced to reduce operations or shut down entirely, leaving journalists unemployed and communities disconnected.
This has deprived the local population of timely and accurate access to information on issues and matters of concern, including climate change, human rights, governance and rule of law, agriculture, education, and health, among others.
The absence of accessible, trusted platforms removes a key mechanism for accountability and service delivery. Without clear channels for communities to express needs or concerns, humanitarian organisations may unknowingly overlook gaps or reinforce harmful patterns.
The consequences for humanitarian programming are real. Without reliable communication, rumours spread unchecked. People miss out on critical health messages—such as updates on vaccination campaigns or disease outbreaks. Marginalised groups, especially women, youth, and people with disabilities, lose an inclusive platform to speak up and be heard.
Impacts on fair and balanced reporting in a country at war
Patrick Oyet stressed that the importance of a vibrant, independent media cannot be overstated since it serves not only as a strong pillar of democracy but also as a viable platform where citizens can air their grievances about the lack of provision of basic services by the government.
Politically, the country is at a crossroads as the government struggles to implement the stalled, revitalized 2018 peace agreement. Many fear this agreement is on the verge of collapse, causing fear that South Sudan will relapse into civil conflict and erase recent progress.
Without vibrant and credible media outlets like Eye Radio, CEN and The Radio Community, the country risks an explosion of violence fuelled by misinformation and disinformation, particularly through social media.
Many vulnerable communities will be deprived of trustworthy news, which could lead to increased cases of gender-based violence, tribal targeting, human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, and corruption—issues that heatedly demand transparent reporting.
Furthermore, with elections slated for 2026, ongoing preparations for a permanent constitution, and a national population census, a decline in media coverage threatens to undermine informed civic participation.
Limited reporting due to reduced staff and resources will likely result in less coverage of electoral processes, health crises, and emergencies, further destabilising efforts towards peace and development.
Oyet appealed to the international community to support independent media because South Sudan is entering a critical junction where accurate, fair, and impartial news is vital for countering misinformation and hate speech, which is promoted by alternative media (social media citizen journalists) amid heightening political tension.
Reimagining communication as a core service
If we accept that information saves lives, then communication must be treated not as an optional add-on, but as an essential part of humanitarian response. Community radio is not a luxury. It’s a tool for coordination, protection, and empowerment.
As donors and agencies reassess priorities, it’s vital to protect and even expand community radio platforms—not only to share information, but to uphold the fundamental humanitarian principle of participation.
Whilst community radio stations are doing what they can to keep communities connected, there is a clear need for urgent donor support for the sustainability of these outlets, to protection the future of press freedom and access to independent news and information in South Sudan.
South Sudan’s economy is insufficient to support self-governing, independent media institutions. In a time of increasing global crises and tighter budgets, we must resist the urge to cut the very tools that connect us to the people we aim to serve. Community radio represents more than just airtime—it’s about voice, dignity, and the right to be heard.
Let’s not allow communities to fall into radio silence.
[Read the meeting report of the SSHAP roundtable discussion on the impact of global aid funding cuts on people and programmes in South Sudan]
