Women leaders, journalists, and lawmakers in South Sudan on Thursday warned that online harassment, cyberbullying, and AI-generated misinformation are becoming growing threats to women’s political participation ahead of the country’s planned December 2026 elections.
The concerns were raised during a two-day workshop in Juba on communication, public speaking, and digital political outreach, organised by the Female Journalists Network (FJN) with support from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
As South Sudan prepares for what could become its first post-independence elections, participants said digital platforms were increasingly shaping political debate while also exposing women leaders and journalists to abuse, intimidation, and disinformation.
“Public opinion is shaped online. Policies are debated online. Campaigns are mobilised online,” said Oliver Mori, spokesperson of South Sudan’s National Assembly. “But while the digital space has opened opportunities, it has also introduced challenges, especially for women.”
He cited cyberbullying, harassment, hate speech, and targeted intimidation aimed at silencing women’s voices.
Mori added that parliament recently passed the Cybercrimes and Computer Misuse Act to address online abuse and digital crimes affecting women and girls, including revenge pornography and offensive communication.
“The Act was designed not to suppress freedom of expression, as some may speculate, but to create responsibility, accountability and protection within the digital space,” he said.
Discussions at the workshop reflected growing concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence and the manipulation of digital content in South Sudan, where internet access and social media use have expanded rapidly despite low levels of digital literacy.
Information Minister Ateny Wek Ateny warned that digitally altered images and videos were increasingly being used to damage reputations and spread misinformation.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) is used for medicine, agriculture, education, and innovation,” he stated. “Now it is being used to destroy families here in South Sudan.”
He described cases in which images of women were allegedly manipulated and inserted into pornographic material using AI tools, warning that many South Sudanese lacked the digital literacy needed to identify fake content.
“Our people are only 34 percent literate,” Ateny said. “The majority can easily believe manipulated content.”
The minister urged women journalists to educate communities about misinformation and the dangers posed by fake online material, especially ahead of elections.
“What is facing women journalists and women in general in South Sudan or Africa is not that women can do less than men; it is the perception,” he said.
Speakers at the event also said social and cultural barriers continued to undermine women’s participation in leadership and public life.
Central Equatoria State Minister of Gender and Social Welfare Elizabeth Pita Lugor said women leaders often faced harsher public scrutiny than men.
“When a man talks powerfully, it is accepted, but if a woman speaks strongly, there are double standards,” she said.
Lugor said many women struggled to communicate confidently in public because of societal expectations and stereotypes surrounding female leadership.
Meanwhile, Dr. Musa Yerro, who represented the UNMISS Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs, said women’s participation remained critical to the country’s fragile peace process and democratic transition.
“The 35 percent quota is not just a political commitment,” he said, referring to provisions in South Sudan’s revitalised peace agreement. “It is a recognition that peace, democracy, and prosperity are not possible without women’s full and equal participation.”
Yerro said women journalists and leaders in South Sudan continue to face political, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers that limit their participation in public life.
“Too often their voices are silenced or dismissed,” he said.
For her part, Leila Osman of the Female Journalists Network said women journalists in South Sudan continued to work under difficult conditions despite financial, social, and emotional pressures.
“Through this workshop, we aim to strengthen women’s communication skills and visibility so that their voices can be heard clearly and effectively,” she said.
Participants said empowering women to engage safely online would be essential as political campaigning and civic debate increasingly move into digital spaces ahead of the elections planned for next year.
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