DRF Trains 50 Participants to Fight Harmful Information in Western Equatoria
By Jackson Gaaniko
Fifty journalists, civil society actors, youth, and community leaders in Western Equatoria State have completed a one-day training on “Strengthening Community Resilience against Harmful Information,” organized by Digital Rights Frontlines (DRF) in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights.
The training, held on Tuesday, aimed to equip participants with digital literacy and critical thinking skills to combat misinformation, disinformation, and incitement to violence, which threaten peace and social cohesion.
Isaac Fora, Director General in the State Ministry of Information and Communication, commended DRF for bringing the program to the region.
“This kind of training is what our community needs,” Fora said. “People are going to learn how to identify and respond to harmful information that threatens our unity and peace.” He urged DRF to extend future trainings to two or three days to allow participants to gain deeper knowledge.
Mrs. Angeline Sani, DRF’s State Coordinator, thanked participants for their active engagement.
“This initiative has already reached four states, and we hope you will be active in applying what you learned to protect your communities,” she said.
Participants praised the initiative but echoed calls for longer training sessions.
“This training is very important, but one day is too short. We need more days to go deeper into these topics,” said youth leader Stephen Kazi.
Women’s representative Grace William added, “I’ve learned a lot today, especially about how misinformation spreads. But we need more time to practice what we’ve learned.”
The training is part of DRF’s nationwide campaign across Western Equatoria, Upper Nile, Jonglei, and Unity states to promote digital rights, safe technology use, and counter harmful narratives. Participants pledged to use their new knowledge to promote safer digital spaces and foster social cohesion.
