Eastern Equatoria youth urged to fight hate speech and disinformation

JUBA – The Director General of the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria, Joseph Wani Kute, has called on young people to combat hate speech, propaganda, and disinformation, highlighting these as key drivers of conflict.

He made the appeal during the closing of a two-day training on preventing these threats in Torit County, organised by the Support Peace Initiative Development Organization, with funding support from the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Kute said that the government of Eastern Equatoria State and its partners have shifted their approach to longstanding training to aid in combating and countering hate speech, propaganda, and disinformation.

Wodcan Saviour Lazarus, the executive director of Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO), said the symposium aims to counter hate speech, propaganda, and disinformation to promote peaceful coexistence.

“We are focusing on access to justice, peacebuilding, and economic empowerment. We know youth are the majority and are being used as tools of conflict. We need to address issues related to hate speech, propaganda, and disinformation, which are major causes of conflict,” said Lazarus.

Lazarus emphasized the need for collaboration between the government and organizations such as the Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO) to train young people in peace promotion programmes.