Gabon’s government blocked internet access and imposed a curfew on Saturday after an election marked by major voting delays, as the opposition cried foul over a poll they hoped would halt President Ali Bongo’s bid to extend his family’s 56-year grip on power.
The Central African nation was holding presidential, legislative, and local polls simultaneously for the first time, with tensions running high amid fears electoral system changes could sow doubt about the legitimacy of the result and provoke unrest.
Citing the threat of online disinformation, the Gabonese government cut the internet until further notice and imposed a night-time curfew from Sunday “in order to prevent any misbehaviour and to preserve the security of the entire population”, according to a statement read on national television on Saturday evening.
Gabon shut down internet access for several days in 2016 when violent street protests erupted against Bongo’s contested re-election for his second term that saw the parliament building torched.
Via Reuters