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Uganda Orders Nationwide Internet Shutdown Ahead of Vote

Rights groups describe the blackout as the latest step in a pre-election clampdown.

Overview

  • The communications regulator directed providers to cut access until further notice, saying the move would curb false information and calls to violence.
  • Network watchdog NetBlocks reported nationwide connectivity disruptions, with social media, web browsing and messaging services largely unavailable since Tuesday evening.
  • The United Nations and human-rights organizations criticized the restrictions as repressive, as officials also told several local NGOs to halt activities before the polls.
  • Security forces have detained opposition supporters and curtailed campaign events, and most international media were excluded from President Yoweri Museveni’s final rally in Kampala.
  • About 21 million Ugandans are due to vote on Thursday, with 81-year-old incumbent Yoweri Museveni seeking a seventh term against leading challenger Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine.