South Sudan gives media houses a month to renew licences ahead of December polls

South Sudan’s Media Authority has given media houses with expired operational licences one month to renew them, as authorities push for greater compliance ahead of the country’s December elections.

In a statement on Friday, the authority said that the directive covered more than 300 radio broadcasters, newspapers and magazines, TV broadcasters, satellite broadcasters, media advocacy groups and other media enterprises.

The move comes after the regulator found that a significant number of media organisations had failed to renew their licences, with some radio stations reportedly operating without valid licences for six years or more.

“Some stations have operated for six years or more without valid operational licences, while a significant number of other media outlets have similarly failed to comply with the licence renewal requirement,” the authority said.

Further, it stressed that media organisations are required by law to hold valid operational licences, and urged those affected to begin the renewal process without further delay.

The authority also linked the licensing drive to the upcoming elections, saying media organisations must comply with the rules governing their operations as the country prepares for the upcoming polls.

“In view of the approaching electoral period, all media entities are required to ensure full compliance with the regulatory framework,” it said.

“It is a legal requirement that all media entities operating within South Sudan possess a valid operational license.”

South Sudan has set December 22 as the date for the country’s first-ever national election since gaining independence in 2011, after the vote was repeatedly postponed because of conflict and political tensions. The original election was due in 2015, but the country’s civil war forced it to be delayed. A 2018 peace deal later set 2022 as the new target, but that vote was also not held.

President Salva Kiir has remained in office since independence, while his former deputy Riek Machar has been under house arrest in Juba since March 2025 after being charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity, charges he denies.

Continued tensions between the two leaders, along with insecurity in parts of the country, have raised concerns over whether the December election will go ahead as planned.