Dalton Elijah
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 19, 2022
- 968
- 1,978
Gabon’s High Authority for Communication (HAC), the country’s media and telecommunications regulator, announced an open-ended suspension of dominant social media platforms to curb what it termed “conflict-inducing excesses.” Facebook and TikTok were no longer available in Gabon on Wednesday, February 17, 2026, hours after the media regulator announced their suspension.
In a televised broadcast, HAC spokesman Jean-Claude Mendome asserted that the drastic measure was designed to intercept “inappropriate, defamatory, hateful, and insulting content” threatening national stability and public morality. While the state framed the blackout as a necessary intervention against cyberbullying and fake news, the enforcement effectively disrupted access to Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube nationwide.
The abrupt, open-ended nature of the suspension—ordered “until further notice”—has plunged Gabonese businesses and civil society into legal and technical uncertainty. Local enterprise groups report severe disruptions to daily commerce, given how heavily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rely on these digital spaces for marketing, customer engagement, and financial coordination.
Opposition figures and international human rights advocates have roundly condemned the ban, characterising it as political censorship disguised as regulatory oversight. Critics argue that without a transparent timetable or an independent appeal mechanism, such sweeping blackouts merely stifle legitimate public dissent during periods of heightened political tension.
Sources .Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)
In a televised broadcast, HAC spokesman Jean-Claude Mendome asserted that the drastic measure was designed to intercept “inappropriate, defamatory, hateful, and insulting content” threatening national stability and public morality. While the state framed the blackout as a necessary intervention against cyberbullying and fake news, the enforcement effectively disrupted access to Instagram, WhatsApp, and YouTube nationwide.
The abrupt, open-ended nature of the suspension—ordered “until further notice”—has plunged Gabonese businesses and civil society into legal and technical uncertainty. Local enterprise groups report severe disruptions to daily commerce, given how heavily small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) rely on these digital spaces for marketing, customer engagement, and financial coordination.
Opposition figures and international human rights advocates have roundly condemned the ban, characterising it as political censorship disguised as regulatory oversight. Critics argue that without a transparent timetable or an independent appeal mechanism, such sweeping blackouts merely stifle legitimate public dissent during periods of heightened political tension.
Sources .Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)
