A Pan-African professional network of journalists known as Congress of African Journalists, CAJ has been launched to further champion the plights of journalists on the continent.
The network was launched during a virtual meeting hosted by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) last June 23, 2020.
The launching was also marked by the putting in place of an interim council of six members presided by the President of Union of Burundi Journalists, Alexandre Niyungeko.
Leaders have as mission to front the current challenging effects of COVID-19 and the collateral impacts on press freedom, the safety of journalists, access to information and other issues affecting journalists in the course of their work on the Continent.
While condemning all attacks and imprisonment of journalists in Africa in his Inaugural statement, Alexandre Niyungeko called for their release from prison and urged all governments, the African Union and partners to ensure freedom of expression and access to information for good governance and welfare of the African people.
The launch of the new organization is within the context of the coronavirus pandemic that has inflicted immense fatality on the continent. According to some media watchdogs and journalist associations that have been tracking the abuse on journalist, African journalists are increasingly harassed or threatened by security services in the course of their duties as essential workers in the frontline to inform the general public.
“On the launch of this Congress of African Journalists we commend all African journalists for their dedication to press freedom and access to information for the general public. We call on African Governments to empower the journalists and media organisations to do their work efficiently in this trying moment of COVID19.” the Interim President said.
According to International Press Institute, IPI which is tracking media freedom, 342 violations have been noted worldwide by June 23, including 63 in African.
Of the 63, 32 are linked to arrest, 25 vertbal and physical attack, 4 on restriction to information and 2 on censorship.
Reporters Without Borders (RWB) has cited Zimbabwe as Africa’s current biggest press freedom violator in connection with the Coronavirus crisis. The French media organ, Radio France International, RFI has also cited Cameroon, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Zambia as the leading African countries violating journalists’ rights during this era.
“We condemn all attacks on journalists, and call for the release of all journalists in prison in Africa,” Niyungeko said. During the launch, journalists in from Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, and Zimbabwe were in attendance.
Other members of the provisional bureau consist of the Secretary General of Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, Foster Dongozi (Vice-President); Chairman of Kenya Correspondents Association, William Oloo Janak (Secretary); Secretary General of Togo Union of Independent Journalists, Patricia Adjissekou (Treasurer); President of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Christopher Isiguzo and President of Djibouti Union of the Press and Audiovisual, Aicha Ahmed Youssouf.
