30 March 2005
INSI PROVIDES SAFETY TRAINING FOR AFRICAN JOURNALISTS
Rwandan reporter Jean-Pierre Gatsinzi knows that covering the nearly decade-long war between his country and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) carries great risks. But that didn't stop him from braving a potentially dangerous border crossing into the DRC to attend a media safety training seminar. "I am very anxious to learn how to better protect myself as a journalist working in a hostile environment," Gatsinzi says.
Thanks to the International News Safety Institute (INSI), Journaliste en danger (JED) and UNESCO, he now has the skills to deal with the risks he faces each day in a more proactive way. Gatsinzi recently attended a seminar in Bukavu where he and dozens of journalists from other countries in West and Central Africa learned conflict reporting skills.
The safety training seminar taught journalists about personal safety, pre-deployment planning, conflict management, dealing with hostile crowds, ballistic awareness and reaction to shooting, checkpoints, abduction and basic first aid.
Participants also learned about weapon identification and range, landmines and the effect of alcohol on conflict reporters and other media staff.
Since January 2005, INSI has held three safety training seminars in Bakavu and Kinshasa in the DRC and in Yamoussoukro in Côte d'Ivoire. More than 80 conflict reporters and media staff attended the seminars, which were conducted by the British security firm Pilgrim's.
Observers from UNESCO, the Ivorian, Congolese and French military forces, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the national press unions of DRC and Côte d'Ivoire also sat in on the training.
INSI says it plans to conduct more safety training seminars in Africa in the coming months.
Established in 2003, INSI is a non-governmental organisation that works to raise awareness of media safety and support journalists working in conflict zones.
Visit:
- INSI:
http://www.newssafety.com/stories/insi/africa15.htm
- Why INSI? http://www.newssafety.com/aboutus/why-insi.htm
- Journalists Brave Danger to Attend Safety Training: http://www.newssafety.com/stories/insi/congo15.htm
- JED:
http://www.jed-afrique.org/
- UNESCO:
http://tinyurl.com/6urvp
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