Steve Topua, Data Analyst

/in

Steve Topua has been in #defyhatenow since March 2020. His roles include data analysis and training. He is involved in data analysis work (data collection, analysis and visualization). He has been involved in training fellows/participants in several Fellowships done by #defyhatenow, including DataSpeaksFellowship, where he was the lead trainer, and the EFFiSS Fellowship. He has also trained staff from South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Gambia on Data Collection, Cleaning and Analysis. Currently he is involved in the InterNews Rooted in Trust (RiT) South Sudan Project where he is the Information Manager/Data Analyst. 

He is a graduate of the Technical University of Kenya, where he studied Bsc Mathematics.

George Hakim, Fact-checker and Media Monitor

/in

George Hakim Egily is a South Sudanese journalist, filmmaker and social media activist.

Hakim is interested in local, national, and international politics, as well as conflict resolution dialogue, as a result of his experience working with the world’s leading media companies such as National Geographic, Sky News, Reuters, and Al Jazeera. He possesses expertise in filmmaking, production, journalism, and photography.

He has also worked for OTV Egyptian, Ebony TV, Al Jazeera Arabic News, Reuters News Agency, and R0g agency.

He has two diplomas in mass communication from Cairo University’s Journalism department and the Egyptian High Institute of Cinema.

George Hakim is also certified by the Jenu Film Garage Alaska USA, the Al Jazeera Institute for Media Development, the Reuters Foundation, Reuters East Africa, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Theatre and Film.

“My greatest motivation is to support the people of South Sudan to build a nation of peace, equality, coexistence and pride. I want to see the people of South Sudan, especially the youth be able to participate in and be active in the growth and development of their nation. I have personally experienced the power of social media for change and impact at the grassroots level and I am committed to seeing journalism and social media in South Sudan being used for positive change,” Hakim George.

Beatrice Amude, Fact-checker and Media Monitor

/in
Beatrice Amude - fact checker

Beatrice Amude Paulino is a Fact-Checker at 211 Check, #defyhatenow South Sudan. She is a working journalist and a member of the South Sudanese Female Journalist Network (FJN).

Beatrice is creative, has research abilities, is adaptable and eager to learn, and has excellent communication skills.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the University of Juba, as well as an Advanced Certificate in Journalism from the South Sudanese Media Development Institute.

Emmanuel Bida, Associate Editor

/in

Emmanuel Bida Thomas is a Project Coordinator at 211 Check, a fact-checking and information verification platform (flagship project of) #defyhatenow South Sudan.

Bida also manages his personal Bida News Blog, a site about current affairs, fact-checks and media literacy. He previously served as a news reporter and editor for Equator Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), and helped launch Social Media presence (Facebook and Twitter) for the station in 2020. He trains on fact-checking and information verification, teaches internet research, social media management and marketing, and google productivity tools in Juba, South Sudan.

His recent projects include ‘Data Speaks Fellowship’ and ‘Empowering Fact-checking in South Sudan.’ Bida’s current work focuses on the role of content creators and citizens in the changing media landscape, promotion of veracity and accuracy of information in the public domain. 

Bida tweets at @Bidal_Thomas.

Marina Modi, Managing Editor

/in

Marina is a social impact enthusiast, development advocacy journalist and a feminist. A believer in youth empowerment through exposure and availing resources that support ideation,  transformation, peace-building and gender equality in all spheres. Previously, she worked as a broadcast journalist, public relations officer, communication strategist and project manager for several local NGOs in South Sudan. She is a graduate of Mass Communication and Media Arts Masters to further effective media production in Communication for development.

Nelson Kwaje, Chief Editor

/in

Nelson has been leading #defyhatenow’s Digital Media and Training teams since 2017. In this role, he supervises and controls all the 211 Check Desk and decides and implements the editorial policy and looks after its execution in consultation with the Managing and Associate Editors. Nelson Kwaje is actively involved in the planning and growth of the 211 Check Desk.

He is also involved with several regional and international fora involved in the development of the internet and right of citizens Africa such as: Network of African Youth for Development, Internet Society, ICANN, KICTANet, and Africa CMS Summit.

Fact-check: Was this a thief on a street light in Juba? No.

/in ,

By 211 Check Desk

Introduction

A photo allegedly of a thief on a street light pole avoiding beating in Juba is FALSE.

The photo shared on Facebook on March 28, 2022 by Insight Juba, a news and media website got over 180 interactions, 44 comments and 14 shares.

A screenshot of the misleading post taken on March 29, 2022

It shows a group of people looking up a street light where what looks to be a human is resting.

The post’s picture caption reads: “A thief climbed a street light pole to avoid beating in ( maybe Juba 🤷🏿‍♂️).” 

Findings:

Google reverse image searches found the picture in a tweet from March 08, 2019, by a Kenyan politician.

He captioned the picture. “Roho ni Moja jameni. Pictured is a thief avoiding being lynched by an angry mob.”

The photo was also shared in similar tweets on 23rd March 2022, Mar 12, 2022, here and also here.

Conclusion:

The photo allegedly of a thief on a street light pole avoiding beating in Juba is FALSE. The image is from March 2019 in Kenya.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.

This fact-check has been produced as part of our Africa Fact-checking Alliance incubation program under Code for Africa.

Fact-check: This photo shows a car bombing scene in Kabul, Afghanistan, not a fire outbreak in Juba

/in ,

By 211 Check Desk

Introduction:

A photo shared on Facebook by South Sudan Eye, a page that parades as a personal blog with over 48,000 followers claimed that there was a fire outbreak in Juba last night.

In fact, the picture shows the scene of a car bombing outside a Defense Ministry building in Kabul, Afghanistan in July 2019.

“Juba on fire 🔥,” reads the Facebook post by South Sudan Eye on March 28, 2022 shared more than 5 times with over 290 interactions and 140 comments.

A screenshot of the misleading post taken on March 29, 2022

Juba is the capital city of South Sudan in Central Equatoria State.

The posts circulated after a State of Nation Address on Monday afternoon, in which President Salva Kiir Mayardit assured Juba residents of guaranteed security.

There were fears following deployment of security organs across the city that day.

However, the photo shared by South Sudan Eye on its Facebook page was not taken in Juba yesterday.

Findings:

A reverse image search on Google traced the photo to several news articles from July, 2019 including those by CNN and the New York Times. 

One of the articles is headlined “Kabul blast kills 6, injures 105 people”, referring to the incident from which the photo was taken.

Conclusion:

The photo shared on Facebook claiming that there was a fire outbreak in Juba last night is FALSE. The photo shows the scene of an incident in Kabul, Afghanistan in July 2019.

#FactsMatter, Don’t be a victim of fake news; instead, let’s fight misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t share content you’re not sure about or don’t know where it came from.

To learn more about our fact-checking process, go to https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, and our team will immediately fact-check it and respond.

This fact-check has been produced as part of ourAfrica Fact-checking Alliance incubation program under Code for Africa.

Business Insider Africa estimates South Sudan’s debt-to-gross domestic product ratio at 64.4%

/in ,

By comparing what a country owes with what it produces, the debt-to-GDP ratio reliably indicates that particular country’s ability to pay back its debts. Often expressed as a percentage, this ratio can also be interpreted as the number of years needed to pay back debt if GDP is dedicated entirely to debt repayment

By Okot Emmanuel 

Business Insider Africa has listed South Sudan among twenty countries with the highest debt-to-gross domestic product ratio in the continent.

It says South Sudan has a debt-to-GDP ratio of 64.4% as of 2022.

The debt-to-GDP ratio is the metric comparing a country’s public debt to its gross domestic product.

The Business Insider says by comparing what a country owes with what it produces, the debt-to-GDP ratio reliably indicates that particular country’s ability to pay back its debts.

That said, below are 20 African countries with the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. This list is courtesy of a report by Statista dated December 2021. Although the exact figures of these countries’ public debts were not disclosed, the percentage of debt to GDP is clearly indicated as you can see below.

CountryDebt-to-GDP ratio
Eritrea175.10%
Cabo Verde                                                          160.7%.
Mozambique133.60%
Angola103.70%
Mauritius101%
Zambia101%
Republic of Congo85.40%
Ghana83.50%
The Gambia82.30%
Seychelles81.90%
Guinea-Bissau79.10%
Rwanda74.80%
Burundi:72.40%
Gabon72.10%
Senegal71.90%
Sierra-Leone71.10%
Namibia69.90%
Kenya69.70%
South Africa68.80%
South Sudan64.40%

A recent report by the World Bank showed that more than half of the world’s low-income countries, most of which are in Africa, are either currently struggling with debt distress or at risk of doing so.

The international financial institution says 15 low-income countries today have debt that is collateralized by natural resources—yet none provide details on the collateral arrangements.

The World Bank then stressed that greater debt transparency makes it easier for governments to make informed decisions about future borrowings.

In the same vein, it makes it easier for the citizens to hold their leaders accountable for the loans borrowed.

Also, Standard Bank Group recently red-flagged Ghana, Kenya Ethiopia, Zambia and Angola as African countries that could soon experience serious debt risks.

Although the exact figures of these countries’ public debts were not disclosed, The Business Insider Africa recommends that countries should take serious issues of debt.

About the Authors:

Okot Emmanuel, a Data Speaks Fellow at #defyhatenow South Sudan, wrote this data story, which was edited by 211 Check Editor Emmanuel Bida Thomas and approved for publication by Steve Topua, a Data Analyst and Trainer. It’s part of the ongoing #defyhatenow South Sudan Data Speaks Fellowship program with funding from the European Union Delegation to South Sudan.

About South Sudan Data Speaks Fellowship: 

This is a three months data journalism fellowship for South Sudanese content creators with an aim of educating participants on the fundamentals of data journalism through in-depth training facilitated by experienced data analysts.

The fellows have been selected from across South Sudan and they are trained in data sourcing/mining, data analysis, and data visualisation for three months (October to December) 

Each fellow will produce a minimum of three (03) data stories during the fellowship. The focus will be on increasing access to information

Data Story: 6.39% drop in the number of students registered for the certificate of secondary education examinations this year

/in ,

34,362 candidates registered for the CSE exams in the academic year 2020/21, with 22,724 males and 11,638 females. This year, 32,167 candidates registered, with 21,799 males and 10,368 females.

By Adut Maguil

The Ministry of General Education and Instruction released the schedule for the 2021/22 Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) Examinations last week, which will take place from April 18 to April 27.

According to Awut Deng Acuil, Minister of General Education and Instruction, 32,167 candidates have registered for the 2021 academic year exams. There are 10,368 females and 21,799 males among them.

However, when compared to the previous year, when 34,362 candidates enrolled, including 22,724 males and 11,638 females, this year’s total number of candidates registered represents a 6.39 percent decrease.

Male candidates fell by 925 from 22,724 in the 2020/21 exams, while female candidates fell by 1,270 from 11,638 the previous year.

YearMalesFemalesTotal
2020/2122,72411,63834,362
2021/2221,79910,36832,167

According to Awut Deng Acuil, Minister of General Education and Instruction, security issues in some parts of the country, the negative impact of COVID-19, which resulted in protracted school closures, and the destructive floods are some of the reasons for the low number of candidates this academic year.

About the Authors:

Adut Maguil, a Data Speaks Fellow at #defyhatenow South Sudan, wrote this data story, which was edited by 211 Check Editor Emmanuel Bida Thomas and approved for publication by Steve Topua, Data Analyst and Trainer. It’s part of the ongoing #defyhatenow South Sudan Data Speaks Fellowship program with funding from the European Union Delegation to South Sudan.

About South Sudan Data Speaks Fellowship: 

This is a three months data journalism fellowship for South Sudanese content creators with an aim of educating participants on the fundamentals of data journalism through in-depth training facilitated by experienced data analysts.

The fellows have been selected from across South Sudan and they are trained in data sourcing/mining, data analysis, and data visualisation for three months (October to December) 

Each fellow will produce a minimum of three (03) data stories during the fellowship. The focus will be on increasing access to information