Local authorities and residents in the northern parts of Jonglei State have decried the prolonged shutdown of the communication network there and appealed for restoration of services, saying the blackout deprives them of information.
SPLA-IO-controlled areas in the northern parts of Jonglei State, particularly Ayod, Nyirol, and Uror counties, have been experiencing fighting and aerial bombardment for a month now, and the situation only escalated with the recent SSPDF’s declaration of “Operation Enduring Peace,” which the army says aims to crush rebellion in the affected areas.
On 23 January 2025, following the escalation of fighting in the vast area between the SSPDF and the SPLA-IO, and its allied White Army, a Nuer militia, all communication networks were shut down, affecting businesses and interactions.
Peter Gatkuoth Koang, the SPLM-IO-appointed commissioner for Nyirol County, confirmed the switching off of the telephone and internet network services to Radio Tamazuj and said the civil population has remained cut off for over a week now.
“By 23 January, the internet was officially shut down in Nyirol and Uror counties, but before that, the cut was intermittent,” he said. He disclosed that they only rely on satellite-provided internet, which he said is limited and expensive.
Residents have decried the arbitrary shutdown of communication services, with civil society activists calling it a denial of people’s rights to access information.
Meanwhile, Gatluak Reat, a lawmaker representing Uror in the state legislative assembly, also decried the blackout, stating that a resumption will allow them embark on communication pertinent to the restoration of peace and order.
“There is no telecommunication network in the Lou Nuer areas. It has been cut off because of the ongoing war,” he said. “We appeal that Zain and the MTN network be restored because this will help us stop the ongoing war by calling our people at the grassroots and preaching peace.”
Though access to telecommunication services is a basic human right, South Sudan’s government has often resorted to network shutdowns in conflict-affected areas, with the recent one being in parts of Upper Nile State following the Nasir incident in 2025. The same year, the government had also blocked Facebook, saying the move was aimed at calming outrage among South Sudanese following the circulation online of images of the heinous killings of South Sudanese stranded in Sudan’s war.