Internet Shutdowns

There have been media reports that Sudanese authorities are blocking access to popular social media platforms amidst nationwide anti-government protests triggered by an economic crisis. The report quotes the head of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service, Salah Abdallah saying "There was a discussion in the government about blocking social media sites and in the end it was decided to block them."

Local media reported a complete Internet shutdown in several areas of Hodeida city in western Yemen. A source from the Ministry of Communication was quoted in Al-Mashhad news, attributing the five-month-long disruption to acts of sabotage and excavations by the Houthi militia, which controls the area. The local ISP, Yemen Net, made no comment about the shutdown. Activists in Hodeida had appealed to the Dutch UN team to pressure the Houthis to restore Internet access.

In one of the longest-running Internet disruptions of the last few years, messaging apps in Chad were blocked for 16 months. The social media blackout began in March 2018 after proposed government reforms to the constitution which would enable the current president to stay in power for the next 30 years.