Gabon has slammed the brakes on social media access “until further notice,” igniting fierce debate over censorship, national security, and democratic freedoms.
The country’s media regulator announced the sweeping suspension, accusing online platforms of spreading false information, fuelling cyberbullying, and publishing defamatory and hateful content capable of destabilising state institutions and threatening national unity.
The decision comes amid mounting labour unrest, with teachers on strike and protests spreading across key public sectors — a tense backdrop that has heightened concerns about digital mobilisation.
The move is already drawing sharp comparisons to the 2021 suspension of Twitter in Nigeria under former President Muhammadu Buhari, a ban that lasted several months and sparked international backlash.
Now, with President Brice Oligui Nguema facing his first wave of social pressure, critics warn that Africa may once again be witnessing a digital power struggle — where governments tighten control and citizens push back in defence of online freedom.
Is this about protecting national security — or silencing dissent?
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