Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Minister for Information, Michael Makuei Lueth, who doubles as the government spokesperson, has warned that the government could be forced to shut down social media if the younger generation continues misusing it.
The minister issued a warning in a statement posted on the ministry’s Facebook page on Wednesday. He stressed that social media was not created ‘for destruction but business purposes’, adding that users are abusing it by creating panic among the people.
“Social media was not created for destruction, and the owner of the social media platform established it for business purposes, but the users abused it to create panic among the global population,” Makuei explained. He reiterated that social media should be used by South Sudanese to promote peace and unity among the people.
Incidence of closure
In August 2021, the internet services were shut down following the call from civil rights activists for mass protests to champion regime change. According to Reuters, the rallies were scheduled to take place across the country, but there were no traces of protesters as security manned the streets of Juba.
The police stated that the activists had not obtained permission to carry out mass protests, saying the slated demonstration was illegal. “We deployed the forces at least to keep order in case of any problem. Those forces are in the streets for your safety,” police spokesperson Maj Gen Daniel Justine said at the time.
However, a civil rights activist, Jame David Kolok, interviewed by Reuters termed the internet shutdown as a sign showing that “the authorities are panicking.”
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