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Uganda Orders Nationwide Internet Blackout Ahead of Election

Authorities frame the blackout as a curb on misinformation, a rationale rights groups say is meant to silence critics.

Overview

  • The communications regulator instructed internet providers to cut public access, citing the need to stop false information and calls to violence before the vote.
  • NetBlocks and reporters documented a nationwide disruption starting Tuesday evening, with social media and messaging apps largely unusable.
  • No formal government statement has been issued, and an official told AFP that no one wanted to take responsibility for the decision.
  • Security forces have broken up opposition events, detained hundreds of Bobi Wine supporters, and officials ordered several local NGOs to suspend operations.
  • The shutdown reprises a 2021 blackout during a disputed election as President Yoweri Museveni seeks a seventh term against challenger Bobi Wine.