A major telecommunications outage in the town of Yambio, Western Equatoria State, entered its 13th day, severely disrupting communication, business and access to essential services.
The MTN network in Yambio became unstable on Dec. 24, 2025, during the Christmas period, leaving residents, traders and government offices struggling to connect.
Moses Samuel Elikana, an MTN airtime vendor in Yambio, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday that the poor network has crippled his business.
“This problem has affected me economically. Airtime sales are how I support my family, but customers have disappeared because the network is not working,” he said. He appealed to MTN and the government to urgently resolve the issue.
A farmer from Saura Boma, who declined to give his name, said families are unable to coordinate or report emergencies.
“Communication between town and villages has become very difficult, and business is suffering because we depend on phones,” he said.
Modir Martin Ngorowu, chairperson of the Information and Telecommunication Committee at the Western Equatoria State Legislative Assembly, said the outage has disrupted trade and communication beyond Yambio.
“Traders cannot coordinate with Juba or abroad, yet people continue paying for poor services,” he said. He called on the government to attract more telecom companies to provide alternatives.
MTN officials have blamed the disruption on technical damage.
Emmanuel Sinoyo Peter, MTN territory sales controller for Western Equatoria State, said the problem was caused by damage to the Bazumburu backbone antenna, located about 25 kilometers from Yambio.
“The antenna was damaged, which affected the entire Yambio network. We ask our customers to be patient as we work to restore services,” he said.
The acting minister of information and communication, James Abdallah Arona, said engineers are already on the ground coordinating with teams in the capital, Juba.
“The government is aware of the communication challenge. From tomorrow, the engineers will restore and stabilize the network,” he said.
MTN South Sudan is a subsidiary of MTN Group, a multinational telecommunications giant headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. MTN Group operates in a number of countries across Africa and the Middle East.
MTN entered the South Sudanese market in 2011, the year the country gained independence, acquiring a license to provide nationwide services.