Gabon's media regulator announced on Saturday that social media access had been restored, ending an eight-month suspension that drew widespread criticism.
The High Communication Authority (HAC) pulled the plug on social networks on 17 February, blaming content posted online for stoking conflict and division in society. The crackdown came as President Brice Oligui Nguema faced a wave of social unrest less than a year after his election.
Facebook and TikTok the most-used platforms in the country along with YouTube and Instagram were shut down, while WhatsApp worked only intermittently. Some users still managed to get online through virtual private networks (VPNs), encrypted tunnels that hide IP addresses and protect internet traffic. Provider Proton reported a 60,000% increase in downloads of its VPN tool the day after the ban took effect.
The HAC said the suspension was intended to allow "the government to adapt its legal framework to better regulate social media." The result: users are now required to provide formal identification, effectively ending online anonymity. The authority said it was working with Meta which owns Facebook and Instagram as well as TikTok and YouTube to “improve content moderation.”
Gabon's opposition had slammed the ban as an abuse of power, and it faced a string of legal challenges that were all rejected. Former prime minister Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who has been in prison since April over alleged abuse of trust and fraud dating back to 2008, was one of the measure's most vocal critics. Activists have cited both the ban and his arrest as examples of the repressive climate under Nguema.
The 2023 coup that brought the military general to office ended 55 years of rule by the Bongo family and sparked hope of democratic change. Nearly three years on, that hope is looking increasingly fragile.
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