Governments across Africa are increasingly reaching for the internet’s “off switch,” cutting off millions from vital digital lifelines in the name of security, stability, or political control.
Since 2016, countries on the continent have imposed more than 190 internet shutdowns, according to new research published Thursday by the African Digital Rights Network, convened by the Institute of Development Studies. The trend is accelerating: shutdowns doubled from 14 in 2016 to 28 in 2024.
Ethiopia leads the list with 30 blackouts, followed by Sudan with 21 and Algeria with 14. The three countries have ordered shutdowns at least once every year since 2018, often in moments of political crisis or popular protest.
Each disruption — whether a full blackout, slowed connections, or blocked social media platforms — carries steep costs. Millions of people lose the ability to contact family, access healthcare and education, or continue work. For governments, shutdowns offer a blunt tool: they silence dissent and disrupt opposition organizing, while damaging already fragile economies.
“Each internet shutdown violates human rights and damages the economy,” said Tony Roberts, a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies and co-editor of the new book Internet Shutdowns in Africa, which details the research. “As internet becomes a medium for people to increasingly communicate, study and work online, these shutdowns necessarily violate citizens’ right to work and their freedom of expression, association and participation. It should worry us that regimes are imposing these digital authoritarian practices with increasing frequency and with impunity.”
The study underscores how entrenched shutdowns have become in African political life. In Ethiopia, blackouts became routine during the Tigray conflict, cutting off millions from communication and humanitarian services. In Sudan, shutdowns were repeatedly deployed during mass protests and political uprisings, including during the current conflict, as authorities sought to weaken resistance movements.
“Across Africa, governments are normalising the use of internet shutdowns to suppress dissent, quell protests, and manipulate electoral outcomes,” said Felicia Anthonio, a global expert on internet shutdowns and co-editor of the book. “These blackouts are growing in scale and frequency, with devastating consequences for rights and lives, in an ever-more digitally connected world. This book adds to the growing body of evidence compiled by rights groups, underscoring the profound harm caused by shutdowns — both online and off. The international community must urgently support civil society efforts against this alarming trend, hold governments accountable, and compel telecom companies to deny unlawful or arbitrary shutdown orders.”
The researchers argue that shutdowns are not just temporary inconveniences but tools of digital authoritarianism, reshaping power in favor of ruling regimes. They also highlight the complicity of internet service providers, who often comply with government orders, and the weak response from international actors, who rarely go beyond condemnation.
While some shutdowns spark outrage, many pass with little notice, especially in countries where independent media and civil society face crackdowns. That silence, the book warns, enables governments to act with impunity.
The authors call on African governments and regional bodies to commit to keeping the internet open during elections and protests, and for telecom operators to resist politically motivated orders. Without such action, they warn, connectivity across Africa risks becoming less a right than a privilege, subject to the whims of those in power.