Senegal has suspended access to the social media app TikTok until further notice, the communications minister said on Wednesday, days after restricting the use of mobile internet amid opposition protests.
The Senegalese communications minister announced on Wednesday that Senegal has temporarily halted access to the social media platform, TikTok. This decision comes after recent limitations on mobile internet usage were imposed due to opposition protests.
The minister… informs the public that it has been observed that the TikTok application is the social network favoured by people with bad intentions to spread hateful and subversive messages threatening the stability of the country.
Moussa Bocar Thiam, Communications Minister
The West African country also restricted access to internet services since Monday, using a similar justification. These limitations were imposed following the charging of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko with allegations of orchestrating an insurrection, engaging in criminal conspiracy, and other related offences
Senegal has seen sporadic violent protests throughout the year, as opposition supporters have accused President Macky Sall of leveling charges against Sonko to disqualify him from the next election.
In case you missed it, two months ago, a violent protest erupted in Senegal following the 2-year sentence handed to Ousmane Sonko. The protest, which also led to the death of 9 persons, prompted the restriction of social media by the authorities.
At the time, Netblocks, a worldwide internet monitor, confirmed that access to platforms including Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Telegram had been limited.
The restrictions did not only to social media. Instead, it was extended to the internet connectivity of citizens, as confirmed by the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications, and the Digital Economy.
The statement read:
The Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and the Digital Economy informs that due to the dissemination of hateful and subversive messages in a context of disturbance of public order in certain localities of the national territory, the Internet of mobile data is temporarily suspended during certain time slots. Telephone operators are required to comply with notified requisitions.The Minister said in a Communique
But, after relaxing the restriction, the government shut down internet access for the nation again on Monday and blamed it on the propagation of hateful messages, which were critical of the current administration.
With the current ban on the popular short-video platform, it seems the political crisis and civil unrest might not be going away anytime soon.
