The Mozambican government has shut down the Internet twice in the last two weeks to curb protests over election results.
Access to Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram has been blocked nationwide. The opposition party has claimed electoral fraud, and clashes have erupted between opposition supporters and police.
On October 25, 2024, the Frelimo Party was declared the winner, and an Internet blackout followed the next day.
Protests continued as opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane maintained his claim to victory. Mondlane has been sharing online messages from South Africa, encouraging the protests.
Some digital rights advocates have condemned these two Internet shutdowns as human rights violations. Additionally, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) 2024 Resolution 580 states that Internet access should remain available during election periods.
However, similar incidents have occurred across the continent in recent history. For example, in Senegal, mobile data was cut off after President Macky Sall postponed the presidential election originally scheduled for February 25, 2024.
Similarly, after June 2023, Senegal experienced three regional Internet restrictions within nine months due to protests.
In 2021, the Zambian government also decided to restrict social media access during its elections.
