Internet Shutdowns

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  mobile, fixed

  Amhara

  On 3 August 2023, Ethiopian authorities ordered network operators servicing the Amhara region in the country's North East to suspend mobile Internet services, fixed line Internet, and access to social media and communications platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). Although no explanation was given these orders came amid escalating conflict between federal military forces and members of the Amhara Fano fighters. It is the second time in 2023 that the people of Amhara region have specifically been subjected to Internet disruptions. The Amhara region is the second largest in Ethiopia, home to around 40 million people. [Update] As of 14 July 2024, mobile Internet services had reportedly been restored in 19 cities across Ethiopia’s Amhara region. However, residents report that connection speeds remain slow and inconsistent.

  Ethiopia

  • Start 3 August 2023 12:00 a.m.
  • End 14 July 2024 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 341 days

April 2023

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Mobile Internet

  Amhara

  Internet services have been suspended in several parts of the Amhara region, amid intense fighting between the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and the Fano militia group.

  Ethiopia

  • Start 6 April 2023 12:00 a.m.
  • End 16 July 2023 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 100 days

February 2023

• Past

  Service blocking

  Facebook, Telegram, Tik Tok, YouTube

  On 9 February 2023 access to social media platforms (TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, YouTube) was reportedly blocked in Ethiopia amid church split tensions and calls for anti-government protests. While those able to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to circumvent the block can still access these sites, citizens without the means to do so are unable to access these sites. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government or other trusted sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.Internet shutdowns are a tactic commonly used in Ethiopia. The government has resorted to total national blackouts, rendering the vast majority of the countries 120 million citizens offline for days at a time, as well as localized shutdowns and sweeping social media bans.

  Ethiopia

  • Start 9 February 2023 12:00 a.m.
  • End 16 July 2023 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 157 days

November 2020

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Western Oromia, Wellega

  The shutdown in Tigray, home to around 6 million people, has hampered the delivery of aid, cut people’s contact with loved ones, devastated the local economy, and stopped reporters from bringing the plight of the region to the world’s stage. A new report by Top10VPN, a London-based VPN review firm that assesses internet privacy, security, and freedom, estimated that local businesses have lost $145.8 million just in 2021 due to the blackout in Tigray. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization was quoted as saying it needed to resort to communicating via paper reports that had to be delivered by hand. Internet access restrictions also exacerbated the spread of misinformation during the conflict, as people struggled to get access to news about what was happening on the ground, fuelling speculations and falsehoods.  

  Ethiopia

  • Start 4 November 2020 12:00 a.m.
  • End 31 January 2023 7:00 p.m.
  • Total Duration 817 days, 19 hours
• Past

  Regional shutdown

  Tigray

  The Ethiopian government restricted telephone and internet services to the troubled Tigray region, in response to an ambush on the military on 3 November 2020. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact the ability of citizens to get accurate information from government sources when they need it most. It also becomes harder for citizens to contact family members and friends in other parts of the country, or in other countries.

  Ethiopia

  • Start 3 November 2020 10:00 p.m.
  • End 6 November 2020 4:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 2 days, 6 hours

June 2020

• Past

  National shutdown

  Local businesses that depend on the Internet, such as ride-hailing services, have said that the shutdown significantly restricted their operations. It also hurt dissemination of key information about the pandemic by regional organizations such as the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which are based in Addis Ababa.

  Ethiopia

  • Start 30 June 2020 12:00 a.m.
  • End 23 July 2020 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 23 days

January 2020

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  West Wollega

  'Kellem Wollega

  Human rights organizations warned that the shutdown deprived citizens of news and information about the COVID-19 pandemic, including public health information relayed through national mobile phone campaigns. The shutdown also ended the online campaign for the rescue of local students who were abducted from a local university in January, making it more difficult to locate them. It likewise impaired local residents’ ability to alert each other to approaching fighting as conflict between government forces and the rebels intensified.

  Ethiopia

  • Start 3 January 2020 12:00 a.m.
  • End 1 April 2020 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 89 days

July 2019

• Past

  Regional shutdown

  SNNPR

  Ethiopia

  • Start 16 July 2019 12:00 a.m.
  • End 29 July 2019 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 13 days

June 2019

• Past

  National shutdown

  Internet Services

  An internet shutdown has been in force across Ethiopia since Saturday, after a group of soldiers staged a failed coup in Amhara state, the birthplace of many of Ethiopia’s emperors as well as its national language, Amharic. The outage has frustrated citizens who rely on online services for information and for conducting business in one of sub-Saharan Africa’s fastest-growing economies.

  Ethiopia

  • Start 22 June 2019 12:00 a.m.
  • End 22 August 2019 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 60 days
• Past

  National shutdown

  Ethiopia

  • Start 22 June 2019 12:00 a.m.
  • End 5 July 2019 12:00 a.m.
  • Total Duration 13 days