vice-chairman and chair of CSAC, the DRC media regulatory authority)
***
The "Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel Congolais (CSAC)"--the DRC
media regulatory body--ordered Saturday, December 1, the systematic
jamming of Radio Okapi frequencies.
Officially, CSAC is charging that Radio Okapi has failed to submit its
"terms of reference," its "scope of work," and its "programming
schedule" to the regulatory body.
But that explanation doesn't fool anyone.
Everyone knows that Radio Okapi has irked authorities and a large
section of the Congolese by broadcasting an interview with Jean-Marie
Runiga, the political figurehead of the M23 outfit.
Officially, Radio Okapi signal was jammed for 3 days, but as of this
writing it's still scrambled.
Pressure is mounting however on CSAC to restore Radio Okapi signal.
Belgian Deputy Premier and Foreign Affairs Minister Didier Reynders,
MONUSCO's Chief of Mission Roger Meece, rights groups, and a
cross-section of listeners expressed their outrage at the blackout of
Radio Okapi frequencies.
Radio France Internationale (RFI)-- which was warned last week
alongside Radio Okapi by Media Minister Lambert Mende for
"demoralizing" the army and the citizenry by providing a platform to
"terrorists and enemies of the state"--risks also losing yet again its
FM signals in the DRC.
***
PHOTO CREDITS: John Bompengo
Via: www.radiookapi.net