ETHIOPIA has officially lifted the Internet restrictions that were imposed in February 2023, after anti-government protests emerged in response to internal conflicts within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC).
The unrest began when three church leaders declared themselves archbishops and established a governing body in January 2023. The move sparked protests in the Oromiya region, with some demonstrators condemning the action, while others supported it.
The Ethiopian state has historically maintained close ties with the Orthodox Church, with over 40 percent of its citizens being members of the religious institution.
By February 10, the situation had escalated, leading to more than 30 reported deaths. The church accused the Ethiopian government of interfering in its internal affairs, despite Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s call for his ministers to stay out of the dispute.
As a response to the escalating protests, the Ethiopian government enforced the Internet ban, drawing criticism from various human rights organisations. Amnesty International, in March 2023, condemned the move as a blatant violation of people’s rights to freedom of expression and access to information.
The ban also had significant economic repercussions for Ethiopia. According to a local Chief Security Officer (CSO) from the Centre for the Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), the country incurred a staggering economic loss of more than $140 million during the five-month Internet restriction period.
In a separate incident, in June 2023, Senegal faced its own social media censorship. The government censored access to platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram following widespread protests over the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
As of now, the Senegalese government has not lifted the social media ban, despite concerns raised by various groups regarding freedom of expression and access to information
