As South Sudan becomes increasingly dependent on mobile phones and online platforms for communication, information, and civic engagement, access to digital space is shaping everyday life. Yet for millions of citizens, particularly women, children, the elderly, and displaced people, digital access remains unequal, unsafe, or entirely unavailable.
Human rights defenders and digital rights activists warn that digital exclusion in South Sudan is driven not only by weak laws and online abuse, but also by the absence of basic telecommunications infrastructure in large parts of the country.
What the law says and what it fails to protect
South Sudan’s Transitional Constitution of 2011 guarantees equality and protection for women, children, and other vulnerable groups. The Constitution affirms that women are equal to men in dignity and rights and obligates the state to promote women’s participation in public life and combat harmful customs and traditions.
Children are entitled to protection from abuse, exploitation, and harmful practices, with the law requiring that the best interests of the child be a primary consideration in all actions affecting them. Displaced persons are protected under constitutional guarantees of personal liberty, security, and equality before the law, and through South Sudan’s regional obligations to protect civilians displaced by conflict.
However, the constitution and existing laws do not explicitly address digital rights, including access to the internet, protection of personal data, privacy of communications, or safety online. Rights defenders say this legal gap leaves women and vulnerable groups exposed to abuse and exclusion in digital spaces with limited accountability.
Phone confiscation and data privacy violations
Edmond Yakani, Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), says digital rights violations are increasingly common, particularly arbitrary phone confiscation by security actors.
“We have cases at border points like Nimule where security officers force people to unlock their phones without any court order,” he stated. “This is a clear violation of privacy and digital rights.”
According to Yakani, access to personal digital data must be governed by law. “If the state wants access to my phone or my data, there must be a legal warrant. Data protection is essential, especially for journalists, activists, women, and displaced people.”
Weak enforcement and limited public awareness
South Sudan has established a Provisional Court for the Trial of Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes, but rights defenders say the court is largely ineffective.
“The court is not functioning well, and public awareness about its existence is extremely low,” Yakani explains. “Even among human rights defenders, only a few know how it works.”
He called for a data protection law, public education on digital rights, and an independent judiciary capable of holding all actors, including government officials, accountable for abuses in digital spaces.
When there is no network at all
Beyond legal gaps and abuse, digital exclusion in South Sudan is also rooted in severe shortages of telecommunications infrastructure. In many rural and conflict-affected areas, there is no mobile network or internet service at all.
Residents in remote counties often travel long distances—sometimes for hours—to access a phone signal. For women, the elderly, and displaced people, such journeys are often impossible due to insecurity, caregiving responsibilities, or physical limitations.
“In some areas, digital rights do not even come into question because there is no connectivity,” said Emmanuel Bida, Program Manager at the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan and a digital rights activist. “Without network coverage, people are completely cut off from information, services, and emergency communication,” he said.
Conflict, displacement, and collapsing infrastructure
Ongoing conflict has further weakened telecommunications services. Fighting has damaged network towers, disrupted electricity supplies, and forced telecom providers to suspend operations in insecure areas.
Displaced families living in informal settlements or protection sites often depend on shared phones and unstable network access, exposing women and girls to surveillance, exploitation, and loss of privacy.
“When people are displaced, access to digital communication becomes a survival tool,” Yakani said. “But many displaced communities have no network coverage, no electricity, and no protection of their digital rights.”
The digital gender gap
Even where networks exist, women are less likely than men to benefit from them. According to Bida, limited access itself amounts to a form of rights denial.
“To enjoy digital rights, you must first have access to a phone, to data, to electricity,” he said. “Many women do not have these resources.”
He explains that economic dependence and social norms often prevent women from owning smartphones or affording internet access, effectively excluding them from digital participation despite constitutional guarantees of equality.
For women who do access digital platforms, safety remains a major concern. Online harassment, including sexist comments, bullying, and intimidation, pushes many women offline.
“People treat online abuse as a joke, but it silences women and limits their participation in public life,” Bida said.
Meanwhile, Flora Lukudu Justin, an activist with the Strategic Initiative for Women, says women’s lived experiences confirm that South Sudan’s digital space is largely unsafe.
“I would say almost 80 percent of the digital space is not safe for women,” she contends. “Women face bullying, intimidation, and misuse of images, including manipulated content.”
She warns that digital abuse often spills into real life, leading to social stigma, domestic violence, and psychological trauma.
Women and displaced communities are at greater risk
Women in rural and displaced communities face compounded risks. Without private devices or stable connectivity, many rely on shared phones, increasing their exposure to monitoring and abuse.
“Displaced women and girls often have no privacy and no digital safety knowledge,” Lukudu says. “This makes them easy targets.”
She also stressed that low digital literacy leaves many women unaware of how to protect themselves online or where to seek help when abuse occurs.
All three advocates agree that protecting digital rights in South Sudan requires legal reform, infrastructure investment, and inclusion.
They call for:
- A data protection law safeguarding privacy and personal information
- Functional and independent cybercrime courts
- Expanded telecom network coverage, especially in rural and conflict-affected areas
- Affordable internet access and electricity
- Targeted digital literacy and safety training for women and vulnerable groups
“Digital rights are real rights,” Yakani said. “As South Sudan becomes more digital, access must be affordable, safe, and inclusive.”
For Lukudu, the issue is urgent, and she says, “If women are excluded or unsafe online, then our society is moving forward without half its population.”