National Ministry of Information has requested Catholic Radio Network to pay the registration fee or face shut down.

A source in Juba at Radio Bhakita told HIJ that they have received a letter from the Ministry of Information requesting all Catholic Radio Network stations to register, pay USD 5,500 per year.

The source alleges that the letter in part reads that if they fail to meet the ministry’s demand then the government will shut down all its stations across the country.

The government has in the past asked private radio stations to pay 20,000 US dollars and government radio stations pay 1500 dollars.

Catholic Radio Network (CRN) is a media project constituted by community-based radio stations broadcasting in Frequency Modulation from Juba, Yei, Torit, Yambio, Rumbek, Tonj, Wau, and Malakal. CRN has also a station in the Nuba Mountains. It has nine radio stations spread across South Sudan.