Ghana

Uganda goes offline

With a hard Hand has Uganda government through the presidential elections maneuvered. Arrests of journalists and opposition are nothing New here. Now but blocked the government’s social networks.

WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook – last Thursday went on for many Ugandans, suddenly, nothing more. Most of it was clear, that on the day of the presidential election is no coincidence. The government also tried not only the Blockade of social networks to cover up. The Ugandan blogger and journalist Lindsey Kukunda informed your provider via SMS about the closures. The reason: A statement from the Ugandan telecommunications authority. “At first I could not believe that the Ugandan government is so crazy plays” said Kukunda. The government conduct clearly is illegal, says the blogger. They feel solid in your freedom of expression restricted.

Blogger Lindsey Kukunda

Later on the same day justified Dauerpräsident Yoweri Museveni to step with safety concerns. With the Blockade of the social media should be outbreaks of violence and the early illegal
Announcement of election results be prevented, said Museveni.

Mathias Kamp, Director of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) in Uganda, considers the justification of the government, in part, to credible. At the same time wool the government but the freedom of speech in the social media, massively restrict, says Kamp.

Control tricked

Worked out really well has Musevenis strategy, however, is not. On the first day have almost 1.5 million Ugandans going through VPN connections are taken to further the social networks to use. Through a VPN connection, users can to foreign Server access, so that the Ugandan authorities have no influence on the use of the Internet can take. The Blockade still have a different effect had, says blogger Kukunda: “Ugandans, the previously disinterested and apolitical were, say now your opinion. Previously, it was young people here politics matter.” Now, however, sow that the government their rights einschränke. “You are now no longer so apathetic,” said Kukunda. The Ugandan government is likely to hardly like.

With the Blockade, it should be ensured that the choice of peaceful, says President Museveni

Mathias Kamp, KAS observed for quite some time as an increasing restriction of democratic and civil rights in Uganda. The Blockade of the social media but it takes a traumatic event to have been, he says. From the traditional media to have the government not much to worry about, because they are not very critical. “But in the social media, where everyone is free to post and where certain dynamics, is the government as a whole is very concerned.” Kamp fears that this Trend will intensify.

The fear of the Ruling

With Chad, Zambia, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo are preparing for this year the next African country to elections. At the latest since the
“African spring”, as the Burkinabè in October 2014 your
Dauerpräsidenten Blaise Compaoré overthrew, they are expected to the Power of social networks. As for the “Arab spring” played by the social media in the uprisings in Burkina Faso an important role.

The Internet is important for the active civil society

Chad has already shown how the government on protests, the Internet reacts. For days blocked the government, among other things, Facebook. After the rape of a female student to go to the Tschader on the road and they mobilize in social networks to further protests. Controversial for the government: Among the rapists of the girl should be the sons of generals of the tschadischen the army.

Mathias Kamp are the blockades of the social networks in Chad and in Uganda are not isolated cases: “in governments, the authoritarian act, social media are a crucial factor. We see clearly the Trend that is increasingly on the Radar of governments.” Well possible, therefore, that the Chad Musevenis example follows, and the social networks during the elections in April locks. But maybe users learn up to then from the example of Uganda, and work around the blocks their government with VPN connections.