Share

Cameroon's anglophone regions offline for over a month

Yaound - Internet has been cut for over a month in Cameroon's English-speaking regions, believed to be a record in Africa, following anti-government protests by the country's linguistic minority, a watchdog said.

"Internet is completely unavailable, unless one invests in satellite material, which is extremely expensive," said Julie Owono, a lawyer for French NGO Internet Without Borders.

"This has been the continent's longest blackout," she told AFP in Paris late on Wednesday.

English-speakers in Cameroon have long complained of discrimination and of not getting a fair share of the west African nation's wealth.

Since November there have been protests in the two main English-speaking regions, northwest and southwest Cameroon, to press for a federal state while some secessionists have even called for independence.

The majority French-speaking country, home to 22 million people, is headed by President Paul Biya, 83, who has been in power since 1982.

On January 19, Cameroon's internet providers informed clients in the anglophone regions that services had been cut, after the government kicked off a campaign against "fake news" on social media.

"Internet is still cut in the city of Bamenda," the regional capital of the Northwest region, a university professor told AFP.

"Sometimes, if there's an emergency or work-related emails to send, I end up having to travel to the neighbouring West region," he told AFP.

Internet Without Borders' Owono said the blackout was costing Cameroon dearly.

"The internet blackout in the two English-speaking regions may have led to losses for Cameroon of $1.35m," she said.

"It may also deepen the rifts between English and French-speakers," she added.

Free speech activists have kicked off a campaign on behalf of the two regions under the hashtag #Bringbackourinternet.

Edward Snowden has backed the campaign, tweeting in January: "This is the future of repression. If we do not fight it there, it will happen here."

Cameroon's journalists' union, the SNJC, on Tuesday condemned what it described as government pressure on media outlets and journalists reporting on English-speakers' demands.

Three members of the English-speaking opposition were arrested in January and face terrorism charges at a military court.

Their charges are punishable by death.

In 2016, several African countries ruled by strongmen leaders went offline around election time, including Chad, Gabon and The Gambia.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 434 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 621 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.96
-0.1%
Rand - Pound
23.92
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.35
-0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.1%
Platinum
908.05
+1.2%
Palladium
1,014.94
+1.3%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE