Fact-check: Did President Salva Kiir say ‘he has failed’ the country as a leader?

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Writer: Ghai Aketch 

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir, after making his speech at the convention of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) National Liberation Council following the party’s endorsement to run for the presidency in 2025, was quoted by Sixty 4 Tribes Press as saying he ‘has failed the country as a leader for the 20 years he has been in power and he cannot stop the ongoing violence in Upper Nile region.’ 

“I CANNOT STOP THE WAR IN SOUTH SUDAN. 

I have failed as a leader and a ruling President for the last 20 years that I have been in Power, I have failed my people and my country. I don’t know how to stop this war. I don’t know what is happening, I don’t trust my appointed staff because they are always going behind my back to participate in crimes,” the Facebook page attributed the quote to  President Kiir. 

Screenshot of the Facebook post as shared by Sixty 4 Tribes Press

But did the President say that in his address aired by the national broadcaster, SSBC, on December 6?

No, in the full audio reviewed by 211 Check, the South Sudanese leader didn’t say these words attributed to him.

Additionally, Kiir has not been in power for 20 years, as the page claims. He succeeded Dr. John Garang, who died in a helicopter crash in 2005, as the SPLM chairperson. That makes 17 years as the SPLM party leader from 2005 and the president as of 2011 to date. 

President Kiir was formally handed the power as an elected president of the Republic of  South Sudan on July 9, 2011, when the country attained independence from Sudan.

Moreover, the Office of the President made a press statement shortly later for clarification, saying the media houses misquoted the president. 

“While deploring the sub-national violence in the Upper Nile Region that is taking tolls on innocent civilians, the president said he cannot stop it alone. Some media houses took this statement out of context by insinuating that the president has taken his hands off this issue,” reads part of the presidential press statement. 

Conclusion: 

Our verification of the president’s speech audio and searches from the available information conclude that President Kiir did not say he has ‘failed’ as a leader. And that he ‘cannot stop the violence in the country.’ These quotes attributed to him are false and altered. 


This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance. 

Blog: The need for disability-inclusive tools to combat online disinformation

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Despite many fact-checking tools, online journalism must embrace inclusion. This requires inclusive digital security training for digital news companies and accessible fact-checking tools.

Writer: Nancy Marangu

The evolution of social media platforms has changed the dichotomy in which information is received and disseminated over time.

As a platform enabler, the internet has given birth to digital, also known as online journalism, which allows everyone to share information quickly. Digital journalism, a modern form of reporting in which editorial content is distributed via the internet, is continuing to transform journalism.

While we appreciate the rapid distribution of content, we must remember that fake news and misinformation continue to affect everyone, mainly persons with disabilities (PWDs). As a result, interventions for PWDs are required so that they can benefit equally from objective and accurate information.

As a result, it is necessary to:

To begin, news organisations must ensure that inclusive media verification tools are accessible and usable by people with disabilities during content distribution. This is because news organisations and digital platforms play a significant role in news distribution control and managing digital journalism collaboratively. This implies that information distributors can be as creative as possible in providing messages in various forms, including speech, while maintaining accessible websites.

Second, NewsCheck is being integrated into the information distribution platform. NewsCheck uses blockchain technology to provide credible scoring on information posted on various social media platforms. This necessitates that news organisations develop accessibility applications that PWDs can easily use to identify disinformation and investigate mechanisms for correcting false information.

Third, while using institutionally accessible websites, news organisations can incorporate Adblock Plus, a browser extension and application that blocks advertisements and websites via filtering lists. The filtering list protects users from malicious and disinformation-spreading websites.

Finally, according to Rand Corporation, 2022, Bot Sentinel is a platform designed to detect and track troll bots and untrustworthy Twitter accounts. Bot Sentinel analyses Twitter accounts, classifies information as trustworthy or untrustworthy and identifies bots using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Developers use the data they collect to investigate the impact of bots and their propaganda on discourse, as well as ways to combat the spread of bots and the information they spread. Untrustworthy accounts must be classified manually. Hundreds of tweets and retweets are reviewed during the review process. They may label an account untrustworthy if it has many followers and a high percentage of misleading and/or factually incorrect tweets. However, it is essential to note that most digital journalists share information on their Twitter platforms. While information is distributed, it is unfortunate that the owners of the companies conduct little or no continuous research to determine the population segments that access information through their platforms.

In conclusion, while there are many more fact-checking tools available, the need for online journalism to incorporate inclusion is critical. Moving forward, this will necessitate more inclusive digital security training for digital news organisations and intentional innovation in information fact-checking tools accessible and usable by people with disabilities.


This blog article was published as part of an assignment for the Empowering Fact-checking in South Sudan (EFiSS) Training Program by 211 Check.

Fact-check: Be aware the Ministry of Finance is not calling for grant applications 

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The Ministry of Finance has confirmed to 211 Check and cautioned online users that a Facebook page calling for grant applications is fake. Previously 211 Check warned of similar hoaxes targeting the netizens in South Sudan.

Writer: Ghai Aketch

Several fake calls for grant applications have been targeting unsuspecting South Sudanese lately in an attempt to collect important data or even exhort money.

This Facebook hoax purporting the Ministry of Finance shared on December 7 claims it is offering $350M as funding from international organisations geared towards agriculture and trade improvement in South Sudan. But that information is false.

“Applications are still ongoing following the grant worth $350M we received from the International Monetary Fund, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Global Entrepreneurship Network. This program is targeted to boost trade, investment and agriculture,” the false claim reads in part.

Screenshot of the post shared on 7th December

The transparency section of the imposter page states that it was created on 7th December 

Additionally, the link directs applicants to a Google form to fill in their personal data.

211 Check called the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and looked at the digital platforms for USAID to find out if this call for grant applications is real or not:

We contacted Maal Maker, the Head of Media in the Ministry of Finance and Planning- South Sudan. However, in response to our  enquiry, he told 211 Check-in writing  that “this information is fake.” 

He shared the ministry’s official page used for official communications.  

Screenshot for the legitimate Finance Ministry’s Facebook page

We also checked the USAID South Sudan website and social media accounts, Facebook and Twitter handle, but no grant application information is available.  

In  October this year 211 Check debunked a similar hoax offering the same amount, 350M dollars. But it was mimicking the  Ministry of Investment. The ministry later denied having a call for funding through its official Facebook page.

Additionally, in April,  211 Check warned online users of another scam of the same application requirements, which resurfaced online.

Conclusion:

211 Check concludes that the page calling for grant applications is a hoax. It was created on the same day, December 7, 2022, and sponsored the false call for applications. 

We noticed that this impostor page goes by the name Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, but the genuine page is named Ministry of Finance and Planning-South Sudan. The legitimate page does not have the word ‘Economic’ as part of its name.

This fact check was published by 211 Check with support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck and the African Fact-Checking Alliance.