(YAMBIO, WESTERN EQUATORIA) – A major telecommunications outage in Yambio has entered its 13th day, causing widespread disruption to communication, trade and access to essential services across the town and surrounding areas.
The MTN network became unstable on 24 December 2025, coinciding with the Christmas period, leaving residents, traders and government offices struggling to stay connected.
Moses Samuel Elikana, an MTN airtime vendor in Yambio, told mediaa on Monday that the outage has severely affected his business. “This problem has affected me economically. Airtime sales are how I support my family, but customers have disappeared because the network is not working,” he said. He appealed to MTN and the government to urgently resolve the problem.
A farmer from Saura Boma, who requested anonymity, said families are struggling to coordinate and respond to emergencies. “Communication between town and villages has become very difficult, and business is suffering because we depend on phones,” he said.
Modir Martin Ngorowu, chairperson of the Information and Telecommunication Committee at the Western Equatoria State Legislative Assembly, warned that the outage is affecting trade beyond Yambio. “Traders cannot coordinate with Juba or abroad, yet people continue paying for poor services,” he said. He urged the government to attract more telecom companies to provide alternative networks.
MTN officials attributed the disruption to technical damage. Emmanuel Sinoyo Peter, MTN territory sales controller for Western Equatoria State, said the Bazumburu backbone antenna, located about 25 kilometres from Yambio, was damaged, affecting the entire local network. “We ask our customers to be patient as we work to restore services,” he said.
The acting minister of information and communication, James Abdallah Arona, said government engineers are already coordinating with MTN teams from Juba. “The government is aware of the communication challenge. From tomorrow, the engineers will restore and stabilize the network,” he said.
MTN South Sudan is a subsidiary of MTN Group, a multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. MTN Group operates across several countries in Africa and the Middle East. The company entered the South Sudanese market in 2011, the year the country gained independence, acquiring a licence to provide nationwide services.
Impact on Local Economy
| Sector | Effect of Outage |
|---|---|
| Airtime Vendors | Sales collapsed, reduced income |
| Farmers | Difficulty coordinating, reporting issues |
| Traders | Cannot communicate with Juba or abroad |
| Government Offices | Delays in essential services and coordination |
