IN SHORT: In mid-May 2025, widespread social media posts falsely claimed that South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, had died. However, these rumours have been officially refuted, and Kiir is continuing with his duties.
From around 14 May 2025, numerous posts began appearing across social media platforms, including Facebook, X and TikTok, claiming that Salva Kiir had died.
Born in 1951, Salva Kiir Mayardit has been the president of South Sudan since the country gained independence in 2011.
One widely viewed post claimed: “Breaking: Reports have it that South Sudan president Salva [Kirr] has allegedly passed away.”
Some posts went further, saying recent pictures shared on the president’s official Facebook page were old, implying the government was covering up Kiir’s death.
These claims were widely shared, collectively receiving over a million views and generating significant engagement.
Context
In recent months, South Sudan has experienced mounting political tensions. In early 2025, fighting broke out in Nasir and other parts of Upper Nile state between the South Sudanese military and a local militia group known as the White Army.
Following this, several opposition politicians were arrested. The first vice president, Riek Machar, was also placed under house arrest and accused of inciting rebellion. These events have raised fears of a return to civil war in the country.
In June 2024, South Sudan’s cabinet restricted access to Kiir amid concerns about his health. Rumours of ill health and the politics of his succession have frequently circulated online, but government officials have consistently denied such claims.
These claims of death appeared in this context. Some posts claim that Kiir recently died, while others claim that government officials are hiding the news. But are they true? We checked.
Government statements and video proof
In a statement on 15 May 2025, South Sudan’s foreign affairs ministry dismissed rumours of Kiir’s death as baseless, confirming that he was alive, healthy and continuing to serve the country.
On the same day, the president’s official Facebook page posted a five-minute video of Kiir delivering a speech in the run-up to the 42nd anniversary of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army. Various media outlets also shared the video, which shows Kiir reading from a prepared statement.
The day before, Kiir was seen in photos and videos accepting credentials from the UK and Indian ambassadors.
More photos and updates have been posted on the president’s social media pages.
One picture showing Kiir with young people and sports vice president Rebecca Nyandeng may have contributed to the confusion, as an image search on Google Lens shows several instances of the same photo that appear to have been posted on the president’s Facebook page in previous years.
However, clicking on those search results leads to different photos, not the one in question. This suggests that Google Lens may have mistakenly matched the image with older posts or identified a closely similar but different photo. We found no actual copy of the same image from those earlier years.
Furthermore, there is video evidence of that meeting, as reported by South Sudanese media, in which Nyandeng explains that she met Kiir to brief him on her visit to Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni.
The various images were shared not only on Kiir’s official pages, but also by other leaders pictured with him and reported by news outlets.
These claims alleging that president Salva Kiir is dead are false.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
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