Internet access via mobile data was restored Wednesday morning in the Senegalese capital Dakar after two days of suspension decreed by the authorities against a backdrop of serious political crisis, AFP journalists noted.
Access to mobile data had been blocked since Monday.
The Ministry of Telecommunications had justified this measure by the dissemination on social networks of
“hateful and subversive messages (...) in a context of threat of disturbance to public order”
.
Common restrictions
Parliament voted on Monday a law postponing the presidential election from February 25 to December 15 and extending the mandate of outgoing President Macky Sall.
This postponement and the conditions in which it occurred caused an outcry and raised fears of strong reactions in the streets, which have been limited for the moment to rare, repressed demonstrations.
Restrictions on internet access are now common in a number of countries to stem protest.
Senegal used it in June 2023 in a context of unrest.
Rights advocates have harshly criticized the suspension of mobile data.