Gen. Said Chawul Lom, the Inspector General of the National Police Service - Courtesy

The spread of  fabricated news and rumors on social media as a major challenge to law enforcement in South Sudan, the Inspector General of the National Police Service, Gen. Said Chawul Lom, has said

Speaking to Eye Radio, Gen. Chawul said misinformation and fabricated reports are increasingly used to confuse the public and disrupt social behaviour.

He noted that platforms such as TikTok and Facebook are being used to spread false information and personal insults, contributing to what he described as a cycle of misinformation.

“One of the problems we are facing is rumours. Rumours are the biggest challenge for us because people create things that don’t exist,” Gen. Chawul said.

“Some people may come to you and fabricate news so that they can confuse people,” he added.

The Inspector General said social media trends are negatively affecting public behaviour, particularly among young people who may not be able to distinguish between accurate and false information.

“What happens on social media is also not good. We see a lot of lies. They promote rumours. Then there are insults,” he said.

“People insult each other on social media… on TikTok, on Facebook. A lot of different things are happening.”

Gen. Chawul warned that such content is harmful to society, especially for underage users who may be influenced by what they see online.

“We have young people who are still underage. They are not mature. They see these things and think they are right,” he said.

The police chief said the spread of misinformation continues to complicate policing efforts and public order management in the country.