Between a rock and a hard place — Internet shutdowns in Africa

Internet shutdowns are a huge concern across Africa, with human rights organisations constantly monitoring and protesting against governments that cut off their citizens’ ability to communicate.

This year was especially active due to the number of countries that were holding elections.

In Africa alone, 19 nations held elections in 2024. These included South Africa and three of its neighbours: Botswana, Mozambique, and Namibia. The island nation of Madagascar off our East coast also held parliamentary elections.

For all the South African government’s faults, one fundamental issue citizens have not had to face since the fall of Apartheid is censorship.

We have had our run-ins with the abuse of surveillance powers. Certain speech can also have legal consequences.

However, the government has never attempted to turn off the Internet or telephone networks to interrupt people’s ability to communicate.

As journalists, we are able to criticise senior government officials without fear of reprisal or censorship. We can call our president “Cupcake” or “Squirrel” and not worry about being silenced — or worse.

If our government tries to do something unlawful or unconstitutional, individuals, organisations, and companies can refuse to comply and take it to court.

Therefore, even if government tried to enact an Internet shutdown, local network operators would have the freedom to refuse and challenge the order on Constitutional grounds.

Not everyone in the world has this freedom.

This year, the governments of Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Mauritius, and Mozambique have ordered Internet shutdowns.

These ranged from shutting down Internet access entirely to restricting certain services like social media.

Such shutdowns happen regularly in Ethiopia, where the government uses it to respond to flare-ups of unrest in the hopes of preventing civil war.

Zimbabwe and Eswatini have also enacted Internet shutdowns in the past to crack down on protests.

Activists, academics, and civil society groups have tried to convince governments not to order Internet shutdowns through moral appeals and warnings about its harmful economic impact.

Unfortunately, this approach does not appear to have discouraged them.

Some have also taken aim at telecommunications operators that comply with government orders to shut down or restrict Internet access, saying that they should stand up to the powers that be.

However, such criticism often comes from a place of idealism, divorced from the harsh realities of operating in tightly regulated and politically sensitive environments.

While activist organisations’ opposition to unjustified Internet shutdowns and human rights advocacy is essential, one must also consider the reality on the ground.

Besides the threat of losing their licence and potentially causing citizens to be disconnected from the Internet even longer, there are real dangers to staff operating in those areas.

It is all very well to say telcos should resist draconian governments, but it is important to remember that companies are made up of people.

Refusing to comply with a government-mandated Internet shutdown means putting employees in harm’s way. It means asking them to risk arrest or even death.

Resistance isn’t just a corporate risk; it endangers local employees and operations — something not often considered or discussed when dealing with Internet shutdowns.