Internet Shutdowns

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.