South Sudan bowed to public pressure on Friday and said it was reversing its decision to block Facebook and TikTok.
The 30-day ban on the social media sites was imposed earlier this week after images of South Sudanese citizens being killed in neighbouring Sudan had sparked riots.
"Our target was the distributors of such harmful videos," said Napoleon Adok, director-general of the National Communication Authority, adding that they had not meant to shut down "the entirety of social media".
"Of course this decision did not go down very well with the public and we have taken into account the concern from citizens and human rights groups," he added.
Juba demonstrations
Demonstrations erupted in the capital, Juba, last week over reports that clashes in neighbouring Sudan had killed 29 South Sudanese.
The protests turned violent with people looting Sudanese-owned businesses.
Anger spread across the impoverished nation, with officers opening fire to disperse crowds and later detaining hundreds of looters.
South Sudan broke away from its northern neighbour in 2011 and has faced severe economic and political instability ever since.
Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese fled to Sudan but the civil war that broke out there in 2023 has seen many travel back over the border.
Most of the million people who have fled Sudan's war over the southern border have been South Sudanese returning to their home country, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
