Activist raises alarm on online hate speech
A civil society activist has raised an alarm over what he termed “increased social media hate speech” exacerbating and perpetuating ongoing subnational violence in many parts of the country.
Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) accused the community’s intellectuals and called on the government to act to prevent the potentially devastating impact of the vice.
He said the social media propaganda has sharply increased and was worrying since the onset of recent inter-communal violence including in Baidit Payam of Jonglei State, Twic-Ngok of Warrap, Agoro, and Abara areas of Magwi County, Ruweng in Unity State; Tonj East and Rumbek North as well as 2021 Tombura violence.
The perpetrators mostly used social media platforms such as Facebook, and WhatsApp, creating community and ethnic-based groups to speed misinformation to incite and mobilize youth for their cause, according to Yakani.
He hinted that South Sudanese in diaspora greatly contribute to the propaganda by devising and sharing false information that worsens the security situation among the communities in question.
“The trend of hate speech and hostile propaganda including use of some fake images to promote hate and friction among the communities in the various platforms of the social media is disturbing and worrying.”
“The common perpetrators of this negative development in the social media are intellectuals …. The leadership of the country sincerely needs to do something for rescuing the values of peaceful co-existence among the communities,” said Yakani.
CEPO boss urged the various communities’ elites to abstain from abusing the use of social media for the promotion of violent culture among their communities.
Yakani said instead of using Social media platforms for incitement, “it will be good if we can use various platforms of social media for promotion of peaceful co-existence and rebuilding the broken social fabric among our communities.”
Currently, the South Sudan Penal Code has no clear-cut punishment for misuse and spread of fake news or propaganda. However, section 389, and 391 prohibit authorized access to and use of computer or computer networks, and manipulation of the proposed computer program.
