South Sudan shuts down social media for three months

South Sudan government on Wednesday directed telecom firms to block access to social media sites like Facebook and Tiktok as it reacted to mounting revenge violence in the country.

The country's telecommunications regulator, the National Communication Authority (NCA), ordered a social media shutdown for up to three months, effective Wednesday night.

It explained that the decision arose from the recent "upheaval in Sudan, that has exposed the South Sudanese population to unprecedented levels of extreme violence through social media posts."

“The authority herein invokes the provisions sections 9(G) (F) and 34 (6) of the National Communication Act, 2012.

"By this order, the authority directs all internet service providers to block access to all social media accounts," it said.

Last week, a gory video circulated on social media here, showing South Sudanese refugees in Wad Madani, in Gezira state in Sudan being attacked by people believed to be Sudanese army soldiers.

Juba said the violence resulted "in the death of women and children, subsequently captured in videos and shared on social media without any regard,” according to Napoleon Adok, NCA Director General.

“We formally request the blockage of these media sites for a minimum of 30 days. This directive may be lifted as soon as the situation is contained. The content depicted violates our local laws and poses significant threats to public safety and mental health, especially vulnerable groups.”

South Sudanese laws guge sweeping powers to the Authority to prevent publication, shut down a media outlet or block access to internet sites is deemed to he security hazards for the country. Such blockade can last up to 90 days.

In response, major telecom companies, including MTN and Zain, announced their immediate implementation of the directive.

“MTN South Sudan wishes to inform its esteemed customers that following a directive received by the telecom industry, access and usage, direct or otherwise, of Facebook, TikTok, and their related messaging applications have been suspended for a maximum period of 90 days.

“As a result, MTN South Sudan users will not be able to access the aforementioned services via the MTN network,” reads a statement from MTN.

Disapproval

The ban has sparked widespread disapproval, however, among South Sudanese netizens, who have criticised the move as censorship and a violation of digital rights.

“Why is South Sudan banning social media, which made them learn of the plight of their own citizens in Wad Medani, Sudan? Technically, how is social media bad to South Sudanese in the context of what is being cited? Is NCA mad at social media for letting us know of the violence SAF met on our people in Sudan? Are we being serious?” posted Dut Machine Mabior.

Acholita Morenita commented, “The death of our South Sudanese in Sudan should not culminate in blocking social media, which is one of the ways many of us get information. Whether that information is correct or not, and how we interpret it, is another thing.

"On the other hand, these horrific videos are not the main reason that people decided to respond with violence. No salaries for 12 months, hunger, poverty, coupled with the inability to call people to calm and assure them that these heinous acts were unacceptable, culminated in violence. Let us not kid ourselves.”

Some said they could try to bypass the blockade by use of virtual private networks.

The decision is among the frantic fights by authorities to both prevent revenge and circulation of what they believe is fake news, from the recent events in Sudan.

Last week, the South Sudan Information Ministry countered an online fake statement that falsely quoted the Minister as blaming South Sudanese refugees for their fate.

South Sudan and Sudan, initially one country, have lived to host each other's refugees. Before April 2023, Sudan hosted the largest number of South Sudanese refugees , following a civil war that broke out immediately after South Sudan seceded in 2011.

But after April 2023, the tide turned as more Sudanese refugees and South Sudan returnees fled back to South Sudan. As such, they have significant nationals of each other on their territories, with some settled and doing business.

The violence in Sudan had threatened to ruin the social cohesion between them. And both Juba and Khartoum, while condemning the incident urged calm. Sudan promosed to investigate although some in the South wanted to be a part of the investigation.

Meanwhile, revenge protests erupted last week as South Sudanese public targeted Sudanese businesses. It led to 19 deaths.
South Sudan's internet infrastructure has in the past faced downturns.

In August 2021, South Sudan experienced an internet blackout that the government described as a technical hitch. It lasted for 15 hours, leaving users unable to access Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and other online platforms.

Rights groups have consistently condemned moves to block access,however, describing them as censorship, abuse of power, and violations of digital rights.