FACT-CHECK: Rebels didn’t surround Yei on 6 January 2026, forcing civilians to flee

Written by Rufina Isaac

A Facebook post published on January 6, 2026, claimed that civilians in Yei River County fled their homes as rebel forces surrounded Yei town, but this is false.

“It has been reported that freedom fighters cut off the movement between Yei and Lianya County,” the post by a Facebook user reads in part.

It was published by an individual account named Kiir Kiir Akol with 34K followers on Facebook. The post got 581 reactions, 167 shares, and was shared by at least 25 others.

Debunking the Claim:

No credible media reports confirm that rebel forces surrounded Yei town or cut off movement between Yei and Lainya County in 2026.

This year, 2026, Yei town (archived) in Central Equatoria State has reported that New Year celebrations ended peacefully, with no major criminal incidents recorded across the town, according to Access Radio.

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Verifying the image captioned in the Facebook post using Tin Eye, the results show that the photo attached to the claim was published on 26 February 2014, first appeared on the Smithsonian magazine (archived link) with the headline, “Congo’s Civil Wars Took A Toll On Its Forests.”

Our Verdict:

The ClarityDesk finds a claim that rebel forces surrounded Yei River County on 6 January 2026, forcing civilians to flee Yei town to be false. No credible media reports support the claim, and the photo used dates back to 2014 in the eastern part of Congo.

Have you spotted an error in this article and would like to request a correction, or have you come across a claim that we should investigate? Please send us an email via editor@claritydesk.org or click here to WhatsApp us via +211 928 606 958.