South Sudan has been mired in conflict for decades, its people caught in a relentless cycle of violence, many carrying deep scars and grappling with despair. At the heart of this crisis lies a pervasive lack of access to accurate information. Misinformation and rumours have exacerbated inter-tribal tensions, resource disputes, and political rivalries. A dysfunctional information ecosystem has fostered a climate of fear, distrust, and violence, making lasting peace an uphill battle. The following account by Sebit Martin, our local coordinator in South Sudan, outlines the Hagiga Wahid project.
The Sentinel Project’s Hagiga Wahid project was launched in Yei and Juba in 2019 to collect and verify community-sourced information regarding rumours and confirmed incidents. Hagiga Wahid aims to equip South Sudanese communities with the tools and knowledge they need to build resilience, promote social cohesion, and engage meaningfully in the democratic process. Our team has successfully countered hundreds of rumours through our investigation and verification process. Now that people have greater access to accurate and verified information, we have made notable inroads towards peacebuilding.
In early 2024, the Sentinel Project received a grant from Global Affairs Canada to expand Hagiga Wahid into four new locations: Bor, Malakal, Wau, and Bentiu. In this project phase, we aimed to reach over 50,000 subscribers to create a more stable environment by tackling misinformation and developing the team’s conflict early warning capabilities. The approaching election, which the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity has rescheduled for December 2026, will intensify challenges and heighten tensions, as misinformation can undermine democratic processes. In the lead-up to the election, our Hagiga Wahid platform is flooded with queries from desperate citizens seeking clarity amidst the chaos. The question on everyone’s mind is not “Will there be elections?” but rather, “What does this mean for my future?”
In such times of uncertainty, people are desperate for answers to the many questions they are confronted with. They want to know that they are heard. They want clarity. A clear example of how the Hagiga Wahid platform can support their needs is the response to this rumour that was shared in March 2024,
“Youths from Marial Bai give all Apuk community members in Wau 72 hours to leave Wau.”
In this case, coordinators confirmed that the claim was false, preventing the potential tensions that misinformation can easily lead to from spreading across the whole village.
The Sentinel Project recently conducted a baseline survey in the six states where the Hagiga Wahid platform operates to better understand the local context and communities who live there. We will soon share some preliminary results from this survey and consider how they might impact the Hagiga Wahid project over the coming year.