By William Madouk
The Secretary-General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Peter Lam Both, has threatened to shut down social media in South Sudan over propaganda.
This came after rumors surfaced the social media that the Presidential Envoy on Special Programs, Dr. Benjamin Bol Mel, is allegedly sworn in as the acting president.
Equally, there was also a letter purportedly written by Bol Mel circulating on social media and ordering the governor of the bank of South Sudan to audit the accounts of the first family.
Debunking the rumors, Mr. Lam warned that should such rumors continue, the government would decide to shut down social media.
“SPLM is for the freedom of expression and speech, but when it is abused, it becomes a crime. We have the capacity to shut social media in South Sudan,” he said.
“We are the ones who are saying don’t shut down social media as SPLM, but if the social media becomes anti-SPLM, we will put our hands up and allow those who have the capacity to shut it down to do that,” Both added.
He alleged that in the East Africa region, including China, people don’t even have access to social media like in South Sudan.
“So, let us not push the button, let us not abuse the freedom of speech; it will end up with you being locked out, and you cannot use any of these social media outlets. You may remain with your phone,” he warned.
In March 2022, the information and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth urged the public not to criticize the country’s leaders on social media and threatened that President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s government may be forced to close down social media platforms to curtail criticisms.
He threatened that the government might be forced to shut down social media giants Facebook and Twitter over their use by the young people who criticize their leaders over their failure.
“Use social media to promote peace and harmony and not to spread hate. Otherwise, if the government feels it can’t control it, we will be forced to shut down, so use social media to promote peace,” Makuei said.