South Sudan issued a social media ban for at least 30 days on Wednesday, following concerns over the spread of footage depicting violence against South Sudanese in Sudan. The ban was communicated in a directive issued by the National Communications Authority to all social media providers operating in the country to prevent hate speech and the spread of images intended to incite violence.

The decision came into effect on Wednesday and will continue for a maximum of 90 days. According to the statement, the ban could be lifted once the violence in Sudan is under control.

The directive comes after widespread outrage and protests in the country, following the release of footage showing the murder of South Sudanese civilians in Sudan’s state of El Gezira, allegedly by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). South Sudanese politicians have alleged that South Sudanese individuals are specifically targeted by the SAF. First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Nathaniel Oyet, has also stated that the violence against the South Sudanese is a result of the ongoing conflict between the SAF and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.

The current civil war in Sudan, continuing since 2023, has resulted in violent clashes between SAF and RSF, over control of the government, with reported genocide and mass human rights violations occurring at the hands of the RSF, with the UN stating that the conflict has resulted in the creation of a grave humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

The South Sudanese and Sudanese governments have been coordinating to repatriate South Sudanese citizens, since the attack, with South Sudan’s government also requesting support from international agencies as well as humanitarian organizations. The Sudan government has also created an ad hoc committee to investigate the murders.