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.
- Total Duration 117 days
Ethiopia
- Population
- 128,691,692
- UN Classification
-
- Least Developed Country
- Land Locked Developing Country
Freedom House rates Internet freedom as Not Free
Local impact
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.
Other supporting information
Access to the Internet was cut in Wellega province in western Ethiopia for nearly three months from January 3 amidst reports of government military operations in the area. The Internet and telecoms blackout was linked to the ongoing conflict between government forces and the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF).
Internet service provider Ethio Telecom apologized for the disruption, citing insecurity in the region. A ruling party regional spokesperson initially told the media in January that the shutdown had “no relationship” to the military operations but that it had contributed to the operation’s success. In February, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told parliament that the complete Internet shutdown in Western Wellega and Kellem Wellega, and the partial access restrictions in Eastern and Horo Guduru Wellega, were due to a security operation in these areas.
Increased violence in Wellega, in western Oromia have been reported since early January. The OLF had been pushing for an independent state, clashing with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) which dominated the post-military transitional government in the 1990s. The government classified OLF as a terrorist organization from 2011 until 2018 when OLF leadership agreed to a ceasefire. The armed wing of the OLF, which the government failed to integrate into regional forces, launched an insurgency in 2019.
On March 31, the deputy president of the Oromia region announced that Internet services will be restored in Wollega, Oromia.
Social media
- Ethiopia: Communications Shutdown Takes Heavy Toll- Human Rights Watch