<<Print>>

Looking at the continent as a whole there are too often "cases of arbitrary censorship, especially on the internet with occasional network shutdowns in some countries, arrests of journalists and violent attacks", press freedom charity Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says.

In its annual report, released on World Press Freedom Day, RSF says there is a wide variety of experiences for journalists across Africa.

Seychelles is the top-ranking African nation in RSF's global index - at number 13 out of 180 countries.

It says that the island nation "is one of the very rare African countries in which most journalists are women".

Namibia is next on this list - at number 18. Both Seychelles and Namibia are placed higher than the UK (24), France (26) and the US (42).

Right at the other end of the list sits Eritrea, which is only beaten to the bottom position by North Korea.

"The media are subject to the whim of President Isaias Afwerki, a dictator responsible for crimes against humanity, according to a UN report in June 2016," RSF says.

"There are no independent media outlets, and journalists have either fled the country or are in prison."