Facebook and TikTok were no longer accessible in Gabon on Wednesday, AFP journalists confirmed, hours after the country’s media regulator announced their suspension over concerns about content stoking division and conflict.
The High Authority for Communication imposed “the immediate suspension of social media platforms in Gabon” on Tuesday, spokesman Jean-Claude Mendome said in a televised statement.
He cited “inappropriate, defamatory, hateful, and insulting content” that undermines “human dignity, public morality, the honour of citizens, social cohesion, the stability of the Republic’s institutions, and national security.”
The regulator also pointed to the “spread of false information,” “cyberbullying,” and “unauthorised disclosure of personal data” as reasons for the decision.
“These actions are likely, in the case of Gabon, to generate social conflict, destabilise the institutions of the Republic, and seriously jeopardise national unity, democratic progress, and achievements,” Mendome added.
The regulator did not specify which platforms would be included in the ban but stated that “freedom of expression, including freedom of comment and criticism,” remains “a fundamental right enshrined in Gabon.”
The suspension comes less than a year after President Brice Oligui Nguema was elected, as his administration faces its first wave of social unrest. Teachers began striking over pay and conditions in December, and protests have since spread to other public sectors including health, higher education, and broadcasting.
