Gabon suspends social media indefinitely

Gabon has suspended some social media platforms, citing concerns that posts could undermine social cohesion and threaten the stability of institutions and national security, the Central African country's media regulator said in a statement.

The High Authority for Communication ordered the immediate suspension "until further notice," without specifying which platforms were affected.

Internet monitoring group NetBlocks said on Wednesday that access to Meta services, YouTube and TikTok was now restricted in Gabon.

Digital platforms and activists are violating Gabonese law by spreading "inappropriate, defamatory, hateful and abusive" content online, the HAC said late Tuesday.

Gabon's president, Brice Oligui Nguema, was elected in April last year, after he led a coup in August 2023 that ended more than half a century of rule by former president Ali Bongo.