Breaking: Ethiopia Lifts Five-Month Social Media Blockade, Restores Connectivity

ETHIOPIA RESTORES SOCIAL MEDIA ACCESS AFTER FIVE-MONTH BLACKOUT

 Photo Source: IEP and Vision for Humanity

Source: AFP News

Addis Ababa - July 19, 2023 

After enduring a five-month disruption, Ethiopians found their access to popular social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram restored on Wednesday, reports AFP News. An investigation conducted by the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), a global association monitoring internet censorship, confirmed the availability of these services in the country, which is Africa's second most populous. 

Ethiopia's internet blackout commenced in early February, as verified by an AFP journalist in the country's capital, Addis Ababa. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok could only be accessed through the use of a virtual private network (VPN), a tool that masks an internet connection's location. But, on Wednesday, access was readily available without requiring any VPN workaround. 

Despite OONI and other internet censorship watchdogs reporting on this extended social media blackout since February 9, the Ethiopian government has remained conspicuously silent about the issue. AFP's inquiries to both the Addis Ababa government and state-run service provider Ethio Telecom have gone unanswered.

Amnesty International suggests the shutdown was in response to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church leaders calling for street protests against a dissident synod formed by rebel archbishops. Although a potential confrontation was defused following mediation by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in mid-February, the social media services were not immediately reinstated.

Historically, Ethiopia's authorities have frequently employed internet and social media disruptions as a control strategy. Between 2015 and 2017, under a previous government, the country experienced multiple connectivity interruptions amid the largest street protest movement in a quarter-century. Despite hopes of change, this pattern of disruption has persisted under Prime Minister Abiy's administration.

Notably, the northern region of Tigray, a hotspot for armed conflict with the federal government, was virtually disconnected from telecommunications for the entire two-year duration of the war. Since the peace agreement was signed in November 2022, networks in Tigray have seen partial restoration.