Data collected by 211 Check according to multiple media reports from October of this year, show that at least 79 individuals were killed in violence-related incidents around South Sudan.
In comparison to September, when 114 persons were slain, October’s figures show a reduction of 30.70 percent.
The majority of the victims of violence died in Warrap State, where 41 individuals were killed, largely in intercommunal confrontations. The following state, Jonglei, comes in second with 13 deaths, the most of which were caused by intercommunal violence and road ambushes.
Following that is Western Bahr-el-Ghazal, where ten people are said to have died as a result of famine.
Unity, Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal, and Central Equatoria each had three deaths.
In both Lakes State and Eastern Equatoria, two persons were killed. In each of the states of Upper Nile and Western Equatoria, one person was slain
In any of the three administrative areas of Abyei, Ruweng, or Greater Pibor, there were no documented cases of violence-related deaths.
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/October-2021-Data-Flourish.png4571039211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-11-04 11:55:372021-11-04 11:55:42Data Story: Reported Killings in South Sudan, 79 slain in October
Most online discussions among South Sudanese continue to happen mainly on Facebook and WhatsApp groups. It is also clear that digital natives are more interested in social issues around music, sports and comedy rather than politics and/or conspiracies.
A 211 Check, Defy Hate Now South Sudan Report
Introduction:
This social media health report is based on data collected during working days from October 1st to October 31st, 2021. The major goal of the report is to examine the main and most talked about conversations on various social media platforms.
The report as well studies the overall dynamics of hate speech, dis/misinformation and incitement to violence contents shared by South Sudanese online and foreign nationals related to South Sudanese regardless of being situated within the country or abroad – the study also looks at South Sudan’s digital and social media landscape and growth.
This month’s monitoring comprises an overall assessment of top Facebook pages, groups, Instagram Accounts and Twitter Handles using CrowdTangle, Vicinitas and other social media monitoring techniques. Report’s key topics are identified based on the level of participation and the amount of attention it receives on social media.
In the October 2021 reporting period, 122 of 196 pages published posts in the current timeframe for a total of 1,725 posts and an average of 2.02 posts/day.
Compared to the previous time frame, interactions were -24.45%.
Key issues of the month – Facebook:
Foreign Ministry sets exams for candidates wishing to be enrolled into foreign service.
The Ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation conducted entry examinations for candidates enrolling into foreign service. The move is said to have come after the government said some employees are obtaining certificates through fraudulent means.
The post shared by Nyamilepedia on Facebook got over 610 reactions, 95 comments and 28 shares. Many commentators raised doubts with some saying there is possibility that the examinations “were leaked” while others wondered why in the first place they didn’t see advertisements for the enrollment.
Emmanuel Jal visits Juba
Emmanuel Jal, a South Sudanese recording artist based in Canada arrived in Juba in the last week of October to a warm welcome by family members. In a video he shared on his Facebook page, there were 65,000 views, over 2,700 reactions, 263 comments and 89 shares. The comments were mainly thanking him for coming home and others asked for a charity concern so he can perform his songs.
What is stopping you from marrying a dinka?
A question by Juba TV “What is stopping you from marrying a dinka?” generated a huge debate in the comments section – some of which constitutes hate speech against certain tribes. The post had 665 reactions, 309 comments and 10 shares.
Motivational Post from Max Jay
Max Jay, a South Sudanese artist, posted “God always got you” giving the example of a Rwandan who was once called a monkey. His Facebook post got over 23,000 reactions, 1,300 comments and 449 shares.
Many commentators expressed sympathy and how merciful God is.
A reflection of the Mundari Culture
Visit South Sudan shared a photo captioned “Mundari culture, friendly people” in which a white lady posed for a picture with some Mundari ladies. The post attracted 6,000 reactions, 192 comments and 77 shares. Many comments were appreciative about how the Mundari people continue to uphold their culture.
Ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccines for all in South Sudan
UNICEF reflects its efforts to encourage women to get vaccinated. UNICEF says it was working with partners to dispel rumors and to create a demand for vaccines.
The Facebook post attracted 8,300 reactions, 123 comments and 37 shares.
There were some cases of vaccine misinformation in the comments section.
Silver X meets Vice President Wani Igga at a youth peace camp
South Sudan Singer Silver X meets Vice President Wani Igga at a youth peace camp in Lobonok.
South Sudan Football Association expresses hopes of winning
South Sudan Football Association Coach Simon James Yor tells fans that they are hopeful of securing a win against Gambia following a bad start in their first two matches of the competition.
Key issues of the month – Instagram:
MTN CEO meets President Salva Kiir
On Instagram, one of the leading posts of the month was President Kiir’s meeting with MTN Group Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas and CEO Ralph Mupita in which they promised to invest $120m in capital ventures in the next three years.
Acacia village welcomes hospitality trainees
A picture shared by the Acacia village welcoming their three hospitality trainees in the hotel sector.
South Sudanese Model, Monica Ayen wins Eric Omondi’s wife material show
Monica Ayen, a South Sudanese Model wins Kenyan Comedian Eric Omondi’s wife material season 3. The post by Hot in Juba has over 350 interactions and a few comments.
Emmanuel Jal comes to Juba
Emmanuel Jal, a South Sudanese recording artist based in Canada arrived in Juba in the last week of October to a warm welcome by family members. In a video he shared on his Instagram had 2,151 views and about 45 comments.
Key issues of the month – Twitter:
On Twitter, where South Sudan has a small number of users, about 718 handles in the last 10 days of October made 2,000 posts with an engagement of 7,000 and influence of 4.3 million.
Screen capture of the #SSOT word cloud. The most used words are in bold.
Our analysis found out that most of the posts by South Sudanese on Twitter are retweets constituting about 68.6%. About 29.6% are original tweets while 1.82% are replies.
The type of rich media used are photos constituting upto 95.8%
Screen Capture showing the types of post and rich media respectively
#SSOT, remains the most popular hashtag among South Sudanese on Twitter followed by #SouthSudan
Screen Capture of Leading Hashtags and User mentions
Analysis
Most online discussions among South Sudanese continue to happen mainly on Facebook and WhatsApp groups. It is also clear that digital natives are more interested in social issues around music, sports and comedy rather than politics and/or conspiracies.
Instagram and Twitter: The number of South Sudanese on Instagram and Twitter continues to be really low. Most of the interesting and engaging discussions around South Sudan topics happen on Facebook and in WhatsApp groups. On Twitter South Sudan content is unified by the hashtags #SSOT and #SouthSudan. The word cloud above clearly gives an indication of the dominating discussions on Twitter.
Conclusion:
Using advanced social media monitoring methods, conversation, and content analysis, this report analyzed online hate speech, misinformation and fake news in South Sudan.
According to the month-long assessment report, contemporary social media behavior is becoming a severe worry. Hate speech can be found not just in postings, but also in comment sections.
Furthermore, the study discovered that what individuals are talking about and sharing on social media overlaps. People are exposed to a variety of realities, and as a result, they express varying viewpoints and instead of being honest and having a reasonable dialogue, social media users prefer to utilize slurs and incendiary phrases.
As a result, the report identified that overall social media involvement is widely healthy, with minimal nasty content and calls for violence being produced and disseminated.
The 211 Check team also observed that mainstream media was not involved in the spread of conspiracies but employed conflict-sensitive reporting practices. However, this is the moment for all stakeholders to address key issues before they become a source of unanticipated events.
End….
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/October-2021-South-Sudan-Social-Media-Health-Report.png6281200211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-11-02 10:38:182021-11-02 10:38:24South Sudan Social Media Health Report – October 2021
Singer John Frog claimed two days ago that he featured in the Top 20 Chart of Sound City Africa on 26/10/2021. Did he really appear in the list or at least was there an October Top 20 Chart on Sound City Africa? Here is the truth:
By Emmanuel Bida Thomas
South Sudanese singer John Frog claimed two days ago in a Facebook post that he had featured in the Top 20 Chart of Sound City Africa. In the post that has since got 1,900 reactions, 194 comments and 7 shares, John Frog said, “We are trending in Lagos. The land of in-laws. Thanks Sound City Africa for Recognition. I really Appreciate”
Misleading Chart shared by John Frog
While most of his audience believed the singer indeed appeared in the list, some people were skeptical, with comments such as “Photoshop.” 211 Check decided to investigate.
Findings:
A look at the posters shared by the singer on his official Facebook page shows that the chart dated: 26th October 2021 is not genuine. It is a manipulation of the Sound City Africa Top 20 chart shared on its Twitter Handle on 16th April 2021.
The list is literally the same, the singer, John Frog and his graphics designer just changed the date from 16/04/2021 to 26/10/2021 and the No. 17 song from “WORLD – DANGBANA REPUBLIK & BELLA SHMURDA” to “KEBIIR WARA – JOHN FROG”
Original Chart 18/04/2021
Manipulated Chart 26/10/2021
Sound City Africa, a music and lifestyle television and radio network did not share any Top 20 Chart on 26th October 2021 as claimed by singer John Frog. We checked all its digital platforms but could not find an October Top 20 Chart.
The claim by John Frog that he appeared on the top 20 Chart of Sound City Africa on 26th October 2021 is FALSE. He manipulated a 16th April 2021 Chart using a graphics software.
#FactsMatter, Don’t fall victim to fake news; let’s fight the spread of misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media. To avoid spreading false information, don’t rush into sharing content that you aren’t sure of or you don’t know its origin.
To know more about our fact-checking process, visit: https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp Message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, our team will immediately fact-check it and send you a feedback.
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/FALSE-CLAIM-ABOUT-JOHN-FROG-FROG-APPEARING-ON-TOP-20-CHART-SOUND-CITY-AFRICA.png6281200211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-10-31 16:15:232021-10-31 16:15:32Fact-Check: Did John Frog feature in the Sound City Africa Top 20 Chart?
According to Wikipedia, the Thon Hotels (formerly known as Rainbow Hotels) is a Norwegian-based hotel chain. It is currently the 3rd largest hotel chain in Norway with 50-odd hotels in Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands owned by Olav Thon
By Emmanuel Bida Thomas
A Facebook post this afternoon claimed that the Thon Hotels in Norway are owned by the newly appointed Managing Director of the state owned Nile Petroleum. It said that Chol Deng Thon acquired the hotel using “oil money” in 2018.
“The current managing Director of NILEPET, Dr. Chol Deng Thon, owns a hotel worth million dollars in Norway. The hotel which he acquired through oil money in 2018 is currently the 3rd largest hotel in Norway. South Sudanese urged him to invest in the country to create jobs for them rather than building big business mansions abroad,” reads the post shared on Facebook.
Facebook Post claiming that Chol Deng Thon owns the Thon Hotels in Norway
Investigation:
According to Wikipedia, the Thon Hotels(formerly known as Rainbow Hotels) is a Norwegian-based hotel chain. It is currently the 3rd largest hotel chain in Norway with 50-odd hotels in Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The Thon Hotel chain was established in 1989 as part of the Olav Thon Group (Olav Thon Gruppen) which in turn is owned by the Olav Thon Foundation. The CEO is Olav Thon.
Olav Thon (born 29 June 1923 in Ål, Hallingdal) is a Norwegian real estate developer and listed in the Forbes list of billionaires as the 198th richest person in the world with a net worth of $6 billion as of March 2013. He is Norway’s richest person and his Olav Thon Group is Norway’s largest private real estate company, with 450 properties, including 60 hotels.[2][3] As of 12 March 2021, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at US$ 6.20 Billion, making him the 437th richest person in the world.
211 Check could not track any available business records of Chol Deng Thon, the new Managing Director of NilePet in Oslo, Norway.
Conclusion:
The claim that Chol Deng Thon, NilePet Managing Director owns the Thon Hotel in Norway is FALSE. The Thon Hotels are owned by Olav Thon, a Norwegian real estate developer.
#FactsMatter, Don’t fall victim to fake news; let’s fight the spread of misinformation on both mainstream and alternative media.
Note: To avoid spreading false information, don’t rush into sharing content that you aren’t sure of or you don’t know its origin.
To know more about our fact-checking process, visit: https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp Message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, our team will immediately fact-check it and send you a feedback.
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/FALSE-CLAIM-ABOUT-CHOL-DENG-THON-OWNING-A-HOTEL-IN-NORWAY.png6281200211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-10-24 17:15:532021-10-24 17:16:04Fact-Check: Who owns Thon Hotels in Norway?
The photo first used by The City Review Digital in its story “Sherikat youths invade Kampala park demanding jobs” is of a bus park found in Birendranagar, Nepal not Sherikhat, Juba
By Emmanuel Bida Thomas
A story by The City Review Digital, a local newspaper in South Sudan published on Saturday, 23rd October 2021 titled “Sherikat youths invade Kampala park demanding jobs” used a misleading image and caption depicting the Kampala bus park in Sherikhat Juba.
Misleading Image by The City Review Digital captioned “Kampala Bus Park in Sherikhat
Google Maps also shows the image as of April 2018 for the Bus Park in Birendranagar, Nepal.
Google Maps, Bus Park, Birendranagar, Nepal – April 2018
Conclusion:
The image and its caption in the story are misleading. The picture does not show the Kampala bus park in Sherikhat, Juba, it is a bus park in Birendranagar in Nepal, South Asia.
To know more about our fact-checking process, visit: https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp Message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, our team will immediately fact-check it and send you a feedback.
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/MISLEADING-IMAGE-OF-SHERIKHAT-BUS-PARK.png6281200211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-10-23 18:11:452021-10-23 18:16:04Fact-Check: This is not a picture showing the Kampala bus park in Sherikhat, Juba
“This scam uses Bank of South Sudan’s brand names and logo in order to make the prize look legitimate. They claim that the BoSS offers prizes worth 300 thousand United States Dollars. This is not true, the BoSS does not offer prizes, awards, or funds,” reads a statement shared by the Bank of South Sudan through its Facebook Page.
By Emmanuel Bida Thomas
An imposter website in the name of the Bank of South Sudan claims that it is offering checks through “the bank’s rewards center” to its website visitors.
In one of the screenshots obtained by 211 Check and SafetyComm South Sudan, the website said a visitor had won a Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018).
But, is the Bank of South Sudan currently giving out prizes to its website visitors? Find out:
Screenshot of Imposter Website Page claiming that a visitor had won a Samsung Galaxy
Findings:
211 Check examination of the unrelated website: http://altajari-prizes.xyz/ [do not click on the link] reveals that the domain name was registered only 16 days ago as of Wednesday, 18/08/2021. A domain created less than 3 months ago is considered new and thus potentially suspicious. The site also has an unknown trustworthiness score on the Web of Trust.
The Bank of South Sudan also released a statement on Wednesday, 18/08/2021 afternoon that it was warning the public “about fraudulent activities being perpetrated in its name on social media through a fraud scheme”
“This scam uses Bank of South Sudan’s brand names and logo in order to make the prize look legitimate. They claim that the BoSS offers prizes worth 300 thousand United States Dollars. This is not true, the BoSS does not offer prizes, awards, or funds,” reads a statement shared by the Bank of South Sudan through its Facebook Page.
You should also note that the official website for the Central Bank of South Sudan is hosted at: https://www.boss.gov.ss/
Conclusion:
Do not provide your account details or personal identification information to a scammer. Do not click suspicious links on the internet.
To know more about our fact-checking process, visit: https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp Message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, our team will immediately fact-check it and send you a feedback
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Central-Bank-of-South-Sudan-Hoax.png6281200211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-10-23 17:37:082021-10-23 17:37:13Fact-Check: Is the Bank of South Sudan offering rewards to its Website Visitors?
It’s true that Ecobank has an upcoming event. But it’s not an anniversary, not its 40th either. This is an event hinged on corporate social responsibility and no participants are required to click the malicious link above in order to join. And, there will be no specified $3000 present, at least.
By Charles Lotara
As the Ecobank Day draws closer, a promotional message with a malicious link has hit WhatsApp platform and has been shared multiple times.
The message prompts users to “click the link to participate in the survey” and “have a chance to win $3000”. This is purportedly happening on the 40th Anniversary of Ecobank.
It is untrue. Ecobank was established in 1985 according to the data on the company’s official website. That makes the bank 36 years old.
Screenshot of Scam WhatsApp Message
The Uniform Resource Locator
Further verification and fact-checking on the link reveals that the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) http://dinnerscare.top attached to the WhatsApp message crafted by a Nigerian user was registered on 28/09/2021.
According to Whois.com, a site that reveals domain identity, the website is hosted by Alibaba.com, Chinese-owned e-commerce giant.
While it is conventionally common that a credible website can be hosted outside the country of the domain registrant, the web address attached to this promotional message attributed to Ecobank is registered under a company called lvhai Ming in Liaoning, a province in China.
The company’s details could not be established by 211 Check as it was not indexed by major search engines at the time of writing. This could be because the company is still new and yet to be indexed by search engines or it is operating as a pseudonym, an aspect search crawler strongly discourages.
A Safe Web Report Generated by Norton Safe Web, a web reputation management service by NortonLifeLock, rated the site http://dinnerscare.top as “Cautious”, among sites that “may have a small number of threats and annoyances”.
The domain analyses indicate no link between Ecobank and the URL on the text accompanied by random characters.
About the Ecobank Event
It is true that Ecobank has an upcoming event slated for 22nd October 2021, which is on Friday this week.
Dubbed the Ecobank Day, it is the day on which the bank will be “raising about mental health”. The Pan African Bank started the three-year campaign ‘Together for Better Health’ in 2019 to show its commitment to preventing NCDs, which encompasses mental, neurological and substance use disorders.
“We are raising awareness and helping to prevent the incidence of NCDs across Africa. The annual highlight of the campaign is during Ecobank Day, our pan-African initiative that takes place in the last quarter of each year, when Ecobank and its staff give back to their communities,” a statement on the bank’s official website read.
Conclusion
It’s true that Ecobank has an upcoming event. But it’s not an anniversary, not its 40th either. This is an event hinged on corporate social responsibility and no participants are required to click the malicious link above in order to join. And, there will be no specified $3000 present, at least.
To know more about our fact-checking process, visit: https://211check.org/how-to-fact-check/ or send us a WhatsApp Message at +211 917 298 255 to present a claim, our team will immediately fact-check it and send you a feedback.
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Fact-Check-Sorry-Ecobank-not-offering-3000-present-on-40th-Anniversary.png6281200211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-10-20 11:27:002021-10-20 11:27:06Fact-Check: Sorry, Ecobank not offering $ 3000 present on 40th Anniversary
On Wednesday 13th October 2021, a press release by the office of The Vice President for Service Cluster and Chairman of the National Taskforce on COVID-19, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, announced that Public and Private Institutions will now have to undergo Mandatory COVID-19 Test and Vaccination.
By David Uku
Several media reports published in the last few days state that the South Sudan government has announced a new mandatory COVID-19 Test and Vaccination for all private and public institutions in the country, 211 Check was contacted to verify.
Findings:
On Wednesday 13th October 2021, a press release by the office of The Vice President for Service Cluster who also doubles as the Chairman of the National Taskforce on COVID-19, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, announced that Public and Private Institutions will now have to undergo Mandatory COVID-19 Test and Vaccination.
“We will carry out mass testing, Vaccination programs, Rapid Diagnostic Tests, in all the public and private institutions. This is to caution all the institutions because in the next few months, travelling outside might require mandatory COVID-19 vaccine certificates and it can help to gauge the level of infections in the country and adhere to the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs),” partly reads the announcement.
John Pasquale Rumunu, the Health Ministry’s Director-General for Preventive Health Services and Acting COVID-19 Incident Manager said on Sunday they are set to roll out mass testing using the rapid diagnostic test to gauge the level of infection in the country for both public officials and the private sector in a bid to contain coronavirus.
‘“The taskforce resolved to carry out mass vaccination program in all the public and private institutions, this is to caution all the institutions to know that in the next few months to come travelling outside might require mandatory COVID-19 vaccine certificates” he told Journalists in Juba on Sunday during the regular media briefing on COVID-19.
Sacha Bootsman, World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Incident manager in South Sudan disclosed that so far only 0.3 per cent of South Sudan’s 12.2 million population is vaccinated. According to her, they have administered 120,412 vaccine doses to 35,755 people out of 2.4 million targets they had set in April this year when vaccination commenced.
South Sudan has vaccinated 22,103 of its health workers with only 2,782 receiving the Johnson and Johnson jabs since October 8 when the vaccination campaign was launched.
The United States donated 152,950 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine to South Sudan in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic on 14th September 2021, it is the vaccine currently being used the country following the completion of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility. It should be noted that South Sudan has not bought a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID-19 Cases:
South Sudan has a total of 12,223 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 11,726 recoveries and 130 deaths since April last year when the first case was registered in the country
Conclusion:
It is TRUE that the Government has announced mass COVID-19 testing and vaccination. The announcement has been made by both the National Taskforce on COVID-19 and the Ministry of Health.
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Copy-of-National-Youth-Empowerment-Fund-Hoax.png6281200211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-10-18 17:14:192022-10-14 12:40:28Fact-Check: Has the South Sudan Government Announced Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination?
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has an initiative named Presidential Youth Entrepreneurship Support (P-YES) and the application dates for 2021 have not yet been announced. Their official site is hosted at www.p-yes.gov.ng
By: Oriba Douglas
A widely shared WhatsApp message claims that the National Youth Empowerment Fund, a federal government agency in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is giving out ₦150,000 – ₦550,000 grants to citizens under the age of 13-65 years from 2021 – 2024 (it fails to specify which country). It calls for this to be achieved through interested persons applying and registering through their given website hosted at https://youth-empowerments.ethut.co
Message Extract in full:
The message reads;
“*National Youth Empowerment Fund Application Form 2021 Is Out*
National Youth Empowerment Funding Application Form 2021 online for registration exercise which is the quickest to apply for is now out for all bonafide citizens only who needs helping hands in their various Business and Education
*The National Youth Empowerment Funds is vision into giving out ₦150,000 – ₦550,000 grant to every Citizen under the age 13-65 years from 2021-2024*.
Age 13-25 (150,000-300,000)
Age 25-65(400,000-700,000)
*October Payments has began for all applicants, Register To be Part of the Beneficiaries
*Strictly for Students and Business owners*
Check Eligibility and Apply here
WhatsApp Message of the Scam
Investigation:
211 Check followed the link attached to the WhatsApp message. It leads to a site on the internet with the URL https://youth-empowerments.ethut.co. The page presents the visitor with a bold header relaying the message Presidential Youth Empowerment Fund and is flaunted on the left by a logo that is used by the official P-YES, on the right a coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and below are the Flags of Uganda, Ghana, Cameroun, Namibia plus the Coat of arms of the Republic of Kenya.
The page further seeks to whey the visitors through a site marquee that stresses “The Presidential Youth Empowerment Funds for all citizens…”
A timer is also included on the website to state till when the offer will remain available.
The page then flows on to a simple HTML form.
The form starts off with some brief statements about the scheme. The form has spaces for full name, Country, Home Address, Phone Number, and Email Address before being presented with a button labelled “proceed” that once clicked ushers page 2 of the form presents Congratulatory messages stating that application has been received and to acquire the funds immediately one is asked to answer three questions that are on a carousel. Once all three questions are answered. A new page loads bearing messages like “after receiving and checking your application, you have been approved to receive the Presidential Youth Empowerment Funds for Free.
A precondition to receive the funds is then added stating that the money will be available immediately a button labelled “invite friends/groups” is clicked so as to share a replica of the same message at the very base of this fact check report to other WhatsApp users and groups. The precondition further dictates that the sharing be done till a blue bar on the site is full.
Analysis and Findings:
Red Flag 1: The first website’s first landing page displays flags and coats of arm of different African Countries in a manner lacking any officiality.
Red Flag 2: Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme is not registered as a valid youth empowerment scheme anywhere in Africa but on the contrary Nigeria recently launched Presidential Youth Entrepreneurship Support (P-YES) whose official logo exists on the fake site’s landing page.
Red Flag 3: The currency to be given out is Nigerian Naira, unsuitable for transactions among countries with different currencies and economies
Red Flag 4: The site borrows heavily the names, flags and logos from Official Nigerian establishments.
Red Flag 5: Without filling the form, #211Check was able to go to page 2 where the following questions were asked:
1. What is your employment Status?
2. What is your Marital status?
3. Choose age range?”
Red Flag 6: A false comments section accompanying page 2 bearing forged Facebook comments with alleged beneficiaries writing good reviews about the grant scheme.
Red Flag 7: After answering the 3 questions on page 2, you are immediately notified that your application was successful.
Red Flag 8: You are required to mass resend a version of the WhatsApp message that likely brought you to the site in the first place, in order to receive your cash grant.
Analysis:
Analysing the Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme website using the tool hosted at https://whois.domaintools.com showed that the website was registered and hosted on 13th July 2021
The domain was registered in the US and the current IP location is New Jersey, US.
The IP history shows that within the last 97 days the IP address has been changed four times.
A look at the source code to the website indicates the form on the site has no capabilities to submit any data entered into it and thus just there to create an environment that mimics the real thing. Developer tools on Microsoft Edge were used to analyse this.
Conclusion:
False, the website is fraudulent and its whole purpose is spam, mostly spamming WhatsApp platforms.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria has an initiative named Presidential Youth Entrepreneurship Support (P-YES) and the application dates for 2021 have not yet been announced. Their official site is hosted at www.p-yes.gov.ng
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/National-Youth-Empowerment-Fund-Hoax.png6281200211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-10-18 16:28:012021-10-18 16:28:10Fact-Check: Is the Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme Legitimate?
Only 870 candidates out of 33,255 failed the 2020/21 Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations. The results were announced last Friday by Awut Deng Acuil, the Minister of General Education and Instruction who also serves as the chair of the National Examinations Council. The examination had the highest number of candidates since the country’s independence in 2011. According to the National Examinations Council, 32,385 of the 33,255 candidates who took the exams passed, representing 97.4 percent.
There were 21,917 male candidates, 21,331 of whom passed, 11,338 female candidates, and 11,054 passed.
Eastern Equatoria State had the highest performance index of 79.96 percent, while Upper Nile had the lowest at 67.91 percent.
Christian Religious Education performed best, with a mean score of 91.1 percent and a performance index of 89.3 percent, while French Language and Computer Science performed poorly, with 0.1 percent performance indexes.
Results Visualization
Chart Showing the Number of Candidates from 2015 – 2020
Chart Showing the Number of Candidates for the CSE 2020/21 per Gender
Chart Showing Students in Academics, Commercial and Technical Section Per Gender
Performance Index by State
https://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/SEC-2020-Results-Flourish.png6101046211 Checkhttps://211check.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/211Check_logo-1-300x120.png211 Check2021-10-18 15:51:052021-10-18 15:51:20DATA STORY: 870 fail 2020/21 Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations in South Sudan
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