Watchdog urges South Sudan to lift social media ban

JUBA – The Amnesty International on Saturday called on South Sudan’s National Communication Authority (NCA) to immediately reverse its order banning Facebook and TikTok, urging authorities to investigate attacks on civilians instead of restricting access to social media.

In a statement on Saturday, the human rights watchdog said the government should immediately lift the ban and investigate attacks on civilians.

“Amnesty International is calling on South Sudan’s National Communication Authority (NCA) to immediately reverse its order, issued on 22 January. Authorities must reverse blanket ban on social media and investigate attacks on civilians,” it said.

The NCA last week instructed internet service providers to restrict access to Facebook, TikTok, and related apps for up to 90 days, citing the spread of footage depicting violence against South Sudanese in neighboring Sudan, which sparked deadly protests.

However, NCA Chairperson Napoleon Adok later clarified that the directive aimed to suspend specific features on Facebook and TikTok, not a complete ban on social media.

He acknowledged that social media is broader than these two platforms but noted they were targeted due to the high volume of sensitive video sharing.

“Our directive were to suspend the Facebook and TikTok features specifically, not the entire social media,” Adok said in a press conference on Friday.

“As a result of these efforts, meta platforms, they have been in contact with us and they have taken measures to blur out and also to remove some of those gruesome images that we were really concerned about,” it added.

Despite this clarification, the order has drawn sharp criticism from various sectors. The South Sudan Bar Association President, Arop Malueth Manon, condemned the order and threatened legal action if the NCA does not withdraw it within 72 hours.

The United People’s Alliance, an umbrella group of non-signatories to the 2018 peace deal, also condemned the move, calling it a gross violation of South Sudanese citizens’ constitutional rights.

The NCA’s order cites sections 9(f)(g) of the 2012 National Communication Act, which allows the authority to “limit practices that contravene beliefs, values, culture and heritage of the people of South Sudan” with “due regard to regional and international standards and practices.”