Libreville can scroll again. Gabon social media access was restored on Saturday, ending a shutdown that lasted eight months.
The Ban and Its Cost
The High Authority for Communication blocked platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram in February, citing hateful and false content. The timing was tense. President Brice Oligui Nguema was facing unrest, with teachers and civil servants on strike over pay and conditions.
For a country of about 2.5 million people, the blackout hit livelihoods hard. A Libreville restaurant owner said nearly 40% of his customers came after seeing his posts. Sellers, students and small firms lost a lifeline. Many people turned to VPNs, and Proton reported a 60,000 per cent jump in downloads the day after the ban began.
Why It Ended, and the Catch
The regulator said the lifting followed talks with major technology companies on better moderation, and that the pause let the government adapt its laws to regulate social media. Courts did not help critics. Every legal challenge to the ban was rejected.
There is a catch for users. Gabon now requires social media users to give formal identification, which effectively ends online anonymity. That raises a fair question for anyone who has ever criticised a government post online.
A Test of Nguema’s Promise
Nguema won last year’s election with over 90% of the vote, after a coup ended more than five decades of Bongo family rule, and promised reform. Critics are not convinced. They point to the ban and the jailing of former prime minister Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze as signs of a repressive climate.
Africa has seen this film before, from internet shutdowns during elections to platform bans during protests. Gabon’s reversal is welcome, but young Gabonese will watch closely to see whether the new identity rules are used to protect them or to police them.
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