Guinea
Major telecommunication companies and Internet service providers in Guinea announced a two-day service disruption from March 21, 2020, a day before legislative elections and a referendum on a proposal to remove presidential term limits. The vote would determine whether President Alpha Condé would stand a third term as president, extending his time in office by another 12 years.
Guilab SA, the infrastructure company that manages the telecom capacity allocated to Guinea on the Africa Coast Europe submarine cable (ACE) system, said that planned upgrades to the ACE network will affect connectivity in Guinea between March 21 to 22. Orange Guinea and South Africa-owned MTN likewise announced service disruptions with a similar timeframe shortly thereafter.
The timing of the announcements raised suspicion that the government was orchestrating a blackout to rig the upcoming elections. In response to the backlash, Guilab said it would reschedule its upgrade to April.
Reports show an initial three-hour Internet outage on the evening of March 21, followed by a social media blackout, and then a complete internet shutdown throughout the voting period on March 22. The government did not provide an explanation for the shutdown.