Apagones de Internet

On 13 August, Internet services were again disrupted in Mauritania from 8:00-12:00 UTC. This follows two disruptions the day before all of which are coinciding with baccalaureate exams happening this week in the country. These recent shutdowns comes less than a month after Internet services were restored after a 23 day national Internet shutdown following post-election protests.

Internet services were disrupted twice in Mauritania on 12 August from 8:00-12:00 UTC and 15:00-19:00 UTC. The disruption coincided with baccalaureate exams happening that day. This recent shutdown comes less than a month after Internet services were restored after a 23 day national Internet shutdown following post-election protests.

Después de que el presidente Mohamed Ould Ghazouani ganara la reelección para un segundo mandato, estallaron protestas en toda Mauritania. Aunque todavía no hemos visto una declaración oficial que exija el cierre de las redes, los datos muestran que las redes de Internet móvil se interrumpieron a partir de las primeras horas del 2 de julio de 2024. Tanto los informes de los medios de comunicación como los comentarios en las redes sociales indican diversos grados de pérdida de conectividad. Lamentablemente, ésta no sería la primera vez que el gobierno actual cierra Internet en medio de protestas. Ya en junio de 2023, Internet móvil estuvo cerrado durante la mayor parte de una semana durante las protestas contra el gobierno. Los servicios de Internet volvieron a la normalidad el 24 de julio.

The government of Mauritania shut down mobile Internet access on Wednesday, 1 June, after protests erupted around the country after the death of a young man, Omar Diop, in police custody. Fixed-lined connectivity continues to be available. Press reports indicate that this outage may go on for a couple of days, but we have not yet identified an official government statement.

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.

According to a report by global Internet watchdog Netblocks, Mauritania went into a near-complete Internet blackout following contested presidential elections held on Saturday, 25th June. A real-time network measurement by Netblocks showed that the country had been disconnected with widespread mobile and fixed-line Internet disruptions amidst the election controversy.