Uganda Cuts Internet Ahead of Presidential Election
- Ugandan authorities have imposed a nationwide internet blackout days before presidential elections in which President Yoweri Museveni is expected to prolong his 40-year rule.
- A government regulatory body instructed mobile network operators to block public internet access starting at 6pm (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
- The network outage has heightened concerns about repression in the run-up to the January 15 vote, in which 81-year-old Museveni, Africa's third-longest-serving leader, is being challenged by pop...
Ugandan authorities have imposed a nationwide internet blackout days before presidential elections in which President Yoweri Museveni is expected to prolong his 40-year rule.
A government regulatory body instructed mobile network operators to block public internet access starting at 6pm (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday. Internet monitor NetBlocks later confirmed a “nation-scale disruption to internet connectivity”.
The network outage has heightened concerns about repression in the run-up to the January 15 vote, in which 81-year-old Museveni, Africa’s third-longest-serving leader, is being challenged by pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine.
Musevni’s re-election ‘all but locked down’
Ugandan security personnel have rounded up hundreds of opposition supporters in advance of the vote and repeatedly fired live bullets and