African leaders and governments have normalized shutting down the internet. The peak of these shutdowns was in 2019 when more than 33 African countries shut down their internet. These numbers are according to a 2020 report published by Access Now. You are probably asking yourself the reason behind these shutdowns. In this article, using case studies, I will explain the reason for these shutdowns.
Internet Usage Statistics in Africa
According to a report published by Internet World Stats in 2020; Africa had 526,710,313 persons actively using the internet as of 31st December 2019.
There was a 39.3% penetration rate of internet usage. The total number of active Facebook users within the same period was 212,911,701 persons.
The report shows that almost half of the African population actively uses the internet and social media platforms.
Why the Shutdown during election time?
Major social media platforms such as Whatsapp, Twitter, and Facebook are crucial in passing information and organizing protests. Hashtag activism, popular on twitter, is currently the popular method to source for supporters to carry out protests. Get a protest hashtag to trend and you have enough supporters to back your demands.
The African dictatorship regimes know this far too well. Cut off the internet, silence the protests. With the data provided above, it is clear that with the high number of internet users, major forms of incitement or protests are brewed on the internet.
Benin’s Case Scenario
During the April and May 2019 parliamentary elections, Benin shut down the internet. There were two shutdowns. First, the government cut access to social media for a few hours. The people then resorted to using circumvention tools like VPNs. Consequently, the government imposed a blanket internet shutdown, taking the entire country off the grid. The second shutdown took place a few days after the election.
The 2019 shutdown was perhaps the most alarming election-related shutdown of the year. This shutdown violated the democratic rights of Beninese. It did not only deprive them of having a free and fair election but they could also not express their views. Dictatorship prevailed! This shutdown was politically based.
Zimbabwe’s Case Scenario
In early 2019, Zimbabwe’s President- Emmerson Mnangagwa’s- officials ordered an internet shutdown. The aim was to prevent protestors from sharing information and coordination of a mass protest against fuel price hike, from less than $3 per gallon to almost $12 a gallon. Protestors argued that the shutdown was to keep the world in the dark concerning the crackdown that left more than 12 dead and at least 600 imprisoned.
In this case scenario, internet shutdown was to quell protests and blind the rest of the world.
Sudan’s Case Scenario
During the 2019 Sudan internet shutdown, various reports indicate that more than 100 people were killed, over 700 injured, and at least 70 raped.
This shutdown was introduced to deter protesters from live streaming the reported systematic killings and looting by the Transitional Military Council (TMC). Just before the internet blackout, TMC which had been negotiating with opposition groups to set up a civilian government, withdrew from the negotiations and sent JanjaWeed militia in a reported murderous attack on peaceful protestors
Autocratic governments
Most internet disruptions have been ordered by long-serving autocratic leaders. In the 2019 shutdowns, 79% of the 14 African leaders who have been in power for more than a decade ordered shutdowns. Notably, these shutdowns were either during public protests against government policies or during election periods.
These leaders were:
- Equitorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema (39 years)
- Cameroon’s Paul Biya (36 years)
- Congo Brazzaville’s Denis Sassou Nguesso (34 years)
- Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni (33 years)
- Sudan’s Omar El Bashir (30 years)
- Chad’s Edris Deby (29 years)
- Algeria’s Abdelaziz Bouteflika (19 years)
- Mauritania’s Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (19 years)
- DR Congo’s Joseph Kabila (17 years)
- Togo’s Faure Gnassingbe (15 years)
- Burundi’s Pierre Nkurunziza (13 years
Effects of these Shutdowns
First, these shutdowns undermine the democratic rights of the citizens in the affected countries. Although, most of the African countries have made giant steps in achieving democracy some countries are still staggering. An Internet shutdown is a modern example of democracy deprivation. It prevents people from exercising their civic roles.
Internet shutdowns also stagger the economy. For economies that depend massively on mobile banking and cash transfers, millions are lost in revenues during these shutdowns.
Internet disruptions also limit people’s freedom. Activists such as Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi, are internet-based and have huge numbers of followers. These activists enlighten people on their freedom and rights through social media platforms. Internet blackouts block the people from gaining access to information provided by these activists.
Campaigns against the Shutdowns
The #KeepItOn coalition encourages states to use their good offices to denounce internet shutdowns and their disproportionate impact on people’s lives.
In July 2019, U.N. experts denounced measures taken by the authorities to shut down the internet in Sudan, saying it stifles free expression and association.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a resolution that denounced internet shutdowns. House Resolution 358 introduced by Congresswoman Karen Bass “call[s] on the government of Cameroon and armed groups to respect the human rights of all Cameroonian citizens and to end all violence.”72 The resolution explicitly states that the Cameroonian government’s decision to shut down the internet undermines freedom of expression.
Last words
It is quite evident that the internet disruptions by African leaders are to undermine democratic rights and to silence protestors. These blackouts have led to the loss of life, rape, and injuries of many people. This tool that is fast spreading in African countries is quite oppressive. The international bodies should treat this with the agency it deserves. The #KeepItOn campaign is an impressive step towards the journey of ending the blackouts!
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