The Wayamo Foundation held a three-day workshop in Nairobi between 4-6 March 2024 on responsible media reporting of justice and accountability processes in and for Sudan.
The workshop brought together Sudanese journalists for in-depth training sessions on reporting on and documenting human rights violations, open-source investigative techniques for journalists, and justice issues surrounding reporting on children in armed conflict in Sudan.
Wayamo drew on its expert network to lead the workshop sessions. Wayamo’s Legal and Research Officer Abdalbasit Mohamed led a session on children in armed conflict in Sudan and the Sudanese legal framework, while Wayamo’s Senior Consultant and Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University Fraser Valley, Canada Mark Kersten presented on the dilemmas in international law posed by former child soldiers.
Robert Nanima, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town provided sessions on grave violations against children in armed conflict. He also elaborated on his role as a Member of the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC) and Special Rapporteur on children.
Wayamo Digital Programmes Manager Kris Kotarski led a session on open-source methods in journalism, while Robin Taylor, Research Assistant, Crisis and Conflict Division, Human Rights Watch provided in-depth training on open source investigations.
Nanima, Kotarski and Taylor were joined by Wayamo’s Coordinator for East Africa Judie Kaberia and Wayamo’s Africa Director Joseph Roberts-Mensah in training journalists on in-depth strategies for reporting accurately and objectively, and conducted practical break-out sessions. All experts supported story building by the journalists.
The training also included a media engagement with experts on core issues of international criminal justice. Wayamo’s Senior Consultant Mark Kersten was joined by:
- Amanda Ghahremani, Legal Consultant, International Criminal Law and Redress for Survivors of Atrocity Crimes
- Ben Gumpert, QC, Crown Court Judge and former barrister; former Senior Trial Lawyer at the International Criminal Court
- James Stewart, former Deputy Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court
- Kirsty Sutherland, barrister at 9 Bedford Row, acted as defence counsel in several international courts and tribunals
The Wayamo Foundation has organised media workshops for Sudanese journalists (including those documenting the conflict) with the objective of strengthening reporting skills and building their knowledge about critical justice-related issues within the framework of its “Capacity building for civil society and the justice sector in Sudan” project. Well-trained journalists and informed citizens are able to take a fuller participatory role in their countries’ democratic processes are key to enhancing local ownership of justice and accountability.
With the financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
