South Sudan government has threatened that it may be forced to shut down social media giants, Facebook and Twitter, over its use by the young people who criticize their leaders over their failure to unite after three years of implementing the revitalized peace agreement.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny in September 2018 signed a revitalized version of a 2015 peace agreement to hopefully stop violence and bring lasting peace in the world’s youngest country which has seen more than half a million killed since 2018.
The two men have however failed to implement the peace deal and citizens as well as international community, have, as result, called on the two men to organize elections and leave power, something the two men says is illegal given their efforts in implementing the peace agreement.
Speaking last week in Juba, 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.
“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.