Early on Monday, information minister and government spokesman Michael Makuei Lueth said the internet disruption was a result of an technical fault which he said had no relation to the protest that were being planned for Monday.
The ministry of interior had for the whole week been threatening to use force against those who would heed to the call of the PCCA to protest against the government of President Kiir and his first deputy and opposition leader Dr. Riek Machar Teny.
Over the weekend, senior presidential advisor and former minister of defense Kuol Manyang Juuk said the government has no rubber bullets and as such, it will be forced to use live ammunition to break down protesters.
Speaking to Sudans Post on Monday evening, several residents of the capital Juba said the internet had been restore at around 6:15 PM and confirmed absence of protesters on the streets of the capital where heavily armed government security forces are still being deployed.
“Currently as I speak to you, the time is 6:15 PM Juba Local Time and the internet has just been restore by the government and I think this is because there are no people protesting in the streets which was the reason for the internet shutdown,” one protester in Gudele told Sudans Post on phone.
Another resident who said he lives in Mangateen area of Munuki said he went out to Juba market at around 2PM but saw a heavy presence of security forces in all streets of Juba as he was going to the Juba town despite seeing no protesters.
“I went to Juba in the afternoon at around 2 in the afternoon and saw a lot of security soldiers but I didn’t see anyone protesting and now as I have just arrived back home, the internet is working fine,” he said, while warning against publication of his name.