Past

National shutdown

Mobile Internet

Mobile Internet services were suspended in Mauritania on 6 March. The Minister of Equipment and Transport, El Nani Ould Ashrouga, was quoted on 9 March following a cabinet meeting that mobile Internet was suspended as part of measures to recapture four prisoners who had escaped central prison in Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania on 6 March. “Security trumps everything, and the Internet was cut on mobile networks only for that very reason,” said El Nani Ould Ashrouga. “This service will be restored whenever possible." While fixed Internet services remained working, mobile Internet is the primary mode for Mauritanian Internet users. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens' ability 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 other countries.

  • Total Duration 6 days, 12 hours

Flag of Mauritania Mauritania

Population
5,169,395
UN Classification
  • Least Developed Country

View full country profile for Mauritania

Local impact

Mobile Internet services were suspended in Mauritania on 6 March. The Minister of Equipment and Transport, El Nani Ould Ashrouga, was quoted on 9 March following a cabinet meeting that mobile Internet was suspended as part of measures to recapture four prisoners who had escaped central prison in Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania on 6 March. “Security trumps everything, and the Internet was cut on mobile networks only for that very reason,” said El Nani Ould Ashrouga. “This service will be restored whenever possible." While fixed Internet services remained working, mobile Internet is the primary mode for Mauritanian Internet users. Internet shutdowns during protests or civil unrest impact citizens' ability 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 other countries.

Related documentation

No official cause documentation was made public.

Other supporting information

Cloudflare Radar data shows a drop in Internet traffic in Mauritania from 10:00 UTC on 6 March.

Google Transparency Report also shows a drop in Google search traffic from 6 March to 12 March.

Time series line graph showing Internet traffic google searches from Mauritania

Social media

Iran's National Organization of Educational Testing sent SMS message to residents on 18 Jan that mobile internet access will be disrupted in #Iran on Thursday (19 Jan) and Friday (20 Jan) mornings to prevent cheating in university entrance exams.https://t.co/WIRchPPHHb pic.twitter.com/NA9TFb3bKP — SAMRIBackup (@SamriBackup) January 20, 2023

Local journalist Aliya Abass said the internet blackout made her work more difficult than usual. “We did not have access to information, and even when we had a piece of information, we had no way of verifying it.” — the Continent VIA Mail and Guardian  

Media coverage

Local journalist Aliya Abass said the internet blackout made her work more difficult than usual. “We did not have access to information, and even when we had a piece of information, we had no way of verifying it.” — the Continent VIA Mail and Guardian