Ethiopia Restores Social Media Access After 5 Months Blackout

Posted by: Kyeyune Andrew Jonathan in African News July 19, 2023

For the first time in five months, people in Ethiopia are now able to access Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, and YouTube. The country imposed the blackout on February 9 this year following tensions between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the government.

However, individuals who had access to virtual private networks(VPN) were able to access the platforms during the blackout. This however cost them a little bit more in additional data charges.

Back in February, the Orthodox Church faced separations.

This followed some archbishops from the Oromia region saying they wanted to form a new synod. They also wanted to hold services on the Oromo language.

Deadly clashes were triggered by the move though an effort by the government to mediate now papered over the cracks.

The decision to lift the ban came without a statement from the authorities.

In June, the Ethiopia Telecom head said the state-owned company didn’t make the decision to block social media.

The internet society revealed how the blackout has cost Ethiopia $42m (£32m) due to the knock-on effect on businesses. Others said this figure is way higher than that.

Some areas of the northern region of Tigray, where a two-year conflict ended last November, remain without access to the internet.

In similar news previously reported by NEWSLEXPOINT.com, the Australian government revealed that on Tuesday 4 April, 2023, it banned social media app TikTok on government devices. It joined a list of Western Nations investigating the Chinese app due to fears of National Security.

Mark Dreyfus, the Attorney-General said this decision was backed by advice from the country’s intelligence agencies. He revealed that it was to begin as soon as practicable.

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