Social Media Access Terminated In Burundi As Government Cracks Whip On Protests

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social media

Whatsapp, Tango, Viber, Facebook and Twitter have been banned in Burundi as the violence that has rocked the country since President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would seek a third term in office escalated.

The government moved to enforce the ban on social media applications by ordering, through the regulator, all telecommunication companies in the country to shut down users’ access to the said applications and services. The government believes that social media played a key role in helping its citizens organize themselves and take to the streets to protest the President’s decision to contest in the June elections.

social media blocked in burundi

The move to ban social media in the country follows the crackdown on mainstream media channels like FM radio stations. President Nkurunziza’s government has already put APR (African Public Radio) off air and is keen to do the same to any media channel seen to be dissenting or giving airtime to the protestors.

 

Via: Twitter/BBC