“Stifled Democracy;” Since 2015, 20 African countries have experienced internet shutdowns during elections

Africa is home to over 50 countries and territories with many of them governed by elected leaders, but a fair share of these nations have experienced military coups and internet disruption.

When a coup or internet shutdown occurs, it is never good for the economy or the average individual as it affects a lot of human rights. Consider Nigeria which suffered a seven-month Twitter (now X) ban between June 2021 and January 2022. In two months, businesses lost N150.46 billion. After the ban was eventually lifted, that figure surged to N546 billion. 

Unfortunately, Nigeria is not the only victim of internet restrictions. It’s a global phenomenon.  Surfshark, a VPN provider, recently published a report that contained staggering details.

“More than a third of African countries have restricted the internet during elections. Out of the 20 countries that have done so since 2015, 18 are autocratic. The most recent cases happened in August when both Zimbabwe and Gabon restricted the internet during their elections,” said Surfshark.  

Elections are dividends of democracy. Many countries practising this style of government understand the concept of voting and being voted for. However, some countries have not played by the rules. Before the proliferation of social media platforms like Facebook and X, citizens keen on following election updates typically relied on traditional broadcast media through televisions or radio sets. 

Nowadays, a Nigerian in Kebbi can follow the results of a polling unit in Ibadan, a city in the Southwest thanks to the internet. Unfortunately, the internet provides mischief-makers ample room for spreading misinformation. This is one fact many African leaders have used to justify their decisions to limit access to the internet during elections.

The Internet as a human right

In a document titled “Ending Internet Shutdown: a path forward,” dated July 15, 2021, the United Nations (UN) says, “the right to access and use the internet and other digital technologies for the purposes of peaceful assembly is protected under article 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

The resolution – led by a core group of Brazil, Nigeria, Sweden, Tunisia and the United States, and co-sponsored by 70 countries from all regions – was adopted by a vote with strong support at the Council on July 13, 2021. This was the fifth in a series of resolutions with the same title, the first of which was adopted in 2012.

The resolution consolidates and reinforces commitments to enhancing internet accessibility and affordability, condemns internet shutdowns and online censorship, and calls for governments to cease such measures. In this light, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was mandated to prepare a report on internet shutdowns, analysing their causes, legal implications, and impacts on various human rights.

The resolution also stressed “the need to ensure that measures offline or online for the protection of national security, public order and public health are in full compliance with international law obligations and that the principles of lawfulness, legitimacy, necessity, and proportionality are respected, and stressing also the need to protect human rights, including the freedom of opinion and expression, peaceful assembly and association and privacy, and personal data in the response to health and other emergencies.”

“In today’s world, internet shutdowns have become a major concern. Authoritarian governments frequently employ them as a means to manipulate the public and stifle free speech.

“The UN resolution on human rights on the internet aims to make countries openly condemn these shutdowns and other ways of restricting online speech. However, it’s concerning that even though five African countries publicly supported the resolution, they still imposed internet restrictions.

“It’s important to promote an open and accessible internet and pressure countries to uphold their commitments regarding human rights online”, Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske, Surfshark spokeswoman, said.

Go deeper: 5 African countries pledged to uphold free internet in 2021 but broke that promise

The African countries in focus 

Surfshark’s latest findings were compiled into a spreadsheet that provides the context of the 20 African countries that have experienced internet shutdowns since 2015. Before diving in, it is worth mentioning that the degree of internet disruption varies among countries.

Africa’s most recent experience with government-enforced internet shutdowns occurred in Gabon and Zimbabwe. Before Ali Bongo, Gabon’s now-deposed President was detained by the military for his role in a largely undemocratic election, he enforced a nationwide internet shutdown. 

This lasted for a few days until the military seized power. Ironically, the military, which is historically known to subvert public opinion, led to the restoration of internet connectivity. This earned them the admiration of many Gabonese citizens. 

In Zimbabwe, the government followed a different path. Instead of a complete description, the authorities opted to slow down the internet speed a day before the 2023 elections. Recall that internet restrictions can manifest in diverse ways. 

Two years ago, Zambians awaited the announcement of the presidential election results amid country-wide internet restrictions. Social media sites like WhatsApp and Facebook were inactive due to the disruption.  When asked for comment on the internet limitation, the government declined the offer. 

However, one can speculate that the rationale for preventing access to social media sites is to prevent citizens from holding the electoral body to account. In 2021, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government turned off internet access while its elections were held. 

Other African countries on the list include Uganda which appeared thrice, Tanzania, Guinea (also appeared thrice), Togo, Benin Republic, and Chad. 

Read also: Economic impact of internet shutdowns from 2019-2023 as governments get bolder

The way forward 

The above numbers do not speak well of Africa’s culture of democracy. In an ideal society, citizens should be allowed to share opinions on the electoral process especially when the outcome will affect them positively or otherwise. Even with internet restrictions, people have found workarounds with virtual private networks. 

Traditionally intended for the user to browse undetected,  more and more Africans are using VPN to access the internet.  Even with dangers like user data exposure, people are unfazed. On the subject of internet shutdowns, the United Nations (UN) writes “The dramatic real-life effects of Internet shutdowns on people’s lives and human rights have been vastly underestimated.” The UN and other concerned groups have often called on world leaders to desist from enforcing internet shutdowns. Sadly, not much has come from those endeavours. 

As four African countries (Eswatini, Liberia, Mali, and Mozambique) gear up for elections before the year ends, local and international attention will focus on citizens’ rights to expression. The internet is a viable tool for sharing opinions on varying issues including elections. One hopes that the above countries treat it as such before, during, and after election day.