Activists in Chad are demanding that the government restore access to social media after it was cut a year ago.
The restrictions were introduced on 28 March 2018 – shortly after the conclusion of a national conference which recommended changes to the constitution, to allow President Idriss Deby to remain in power until 2033.
Critics of Mr Deby have been mobilising through social media since the last presidential elections in 2016.
The mobilisation proved effective, as according to the BBC’s Vincent Niebede in the capital, Ndjamena, many Chadians were using social media to organise anti-government protests.
He says the internet became a real threat to the government.
Access to Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, among others, has been blocked and since the ban was implemented, the number of demonstrations has dropped and those that have gone ahead have seen smaller numbers.
One prominent bloggeur Deuh’b Emmanuel, told the BBC: “Without Facebook, without access to social media, it’s like being in prison without a cell.”
Activists have always blamed the government for the social media cut.
However, the authorities remained silent for a long time. Several ministries rejected responsibility.
The body in charge of electronic and postal communications, Arcep, said it received the order from the interior ministry.
On Wednesday, government spokesman Oumar Yaya Hissein told our reporter that the ban had been imposed for “security reasons”.
According to our reporter, the government considers social media a serious threat.
Rebel movements hostile to President Deby are still active in the country, and according to a security official interviewed by our reporter, the government believes social media could enable rebel leaders to recruit more young people.
There have also been cases of civilians capturing unlawful killings and beatings and publishing them online, which the government is keen to stop.
It seems highly unlikely. A group of Chadian lawyers took telecommunication companies to court in August 2018 in an attempt to restore social media access but lost the case. The lawyers appealed but the appeal court on Thursday dismissed their case, citing “security reasons” for the social media cut.
The collective of lawyers, lead by Daïnoné Frédéric and Frédéric Nanadjingué, have said they will now try to get the ban overturned by appealing to international authorities.
