Gabon Lifts Eight-Month Social Media Ban Amid Criticism

Gabon has lifted a ban on social media platforms that had been in place for eight months, the country's High Communication Authority (HAC) announced on Saturday.

The ban, initially imposed on February 17, had drawn widespread criticism. At the time of its implementation, the HAC stated that online content was exacerbating conflict and deepening national divisions. The suspension affected popular platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, which are widely used by the Gabonese population, particularly younger citizens, for both personal and professional purposes.

During the eight-month period, many Gabonese citizens turned to Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to maintain access to these social media sites. The ban coincided with a period of social unrest in the central African nation of approximately 2.5 million people, occurring less than a year after President Brice Oligui Nguema's election. Teachers and civil servants had previously organized strikes citing low wages and inadequate working conditions.

Opposition figures had decried the social media suspension as an abuse of power. President Nguema secured over 90% of the vote in last year's elections, an outcome that followed a coup two years prior, ending more than five decades of rule by the Bongo family. Upon taking office, Nguema pledged to reform Gabon, a nation rich in oil and timber, where previous governments had utilized digital restrictions to control information flow.

The authorities' justification for the ban, citing the fueling of conflict by online content, was countered by the opposition's condemnation of it as a power abuse. The HAC has been approached for comment on the lifting of the ban.