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Juba: Al-Naeim Mubarak Koul
The Government of South Sudan has ordered the immediate shutdown of social media platforms such as Facebook and TikTok for up to three months. The National Communication Authority (NCA) cited the recent unrest in Sudan and the spread of hate speech as one of the main reasons for issuing the order.
The NCA also referred to disturbing images and videos showing violence against citizens in Wad Madani, Sudan, as a justification for the ban. It emphasized that the shutdown is necessary to curb the spread of violent content, particularly videos depicting brutal attacks on women and children.
This decision has raised widespread concern among social media users and civil society activists, who view it as a violation of citizens’ rights.
Civil society activist Ter Manyang, in a statement to Tamazuj Radio, criticized the government for violating the freedoms and rights guaranteed under Articles 24 and 25 of South Sudan’s transitional constitution.
Edmund Yakani called on the NCA to focus on blocking individual accounts responsible for spreading hate speech, misinformation, and violent content, rather than implementing a general shutdown.
MTN South Sudan posted on its Facebook page that it had received notice of the order from the NCA due to the ongoing unrest in Sudan and its impact in South Sudan.
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