Gabon Pulls the Plug on Its Own Social Media Ban After Eight Months

Gabon's social media shutdown is over. The High Communication Authority (HAC) announced the reversal on Saturday in a televised statement, according to the BBC, ending a blackout that had been in place since 17 February. The BBC says it has approached the country's media regulator for comment.

When the ban landed in February, the HAC argued that online content was fuelling conflict and deepening divisions across the central African nation. It was a jolt for a country of roughly 2.5 million people, where Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are fixtures for younger users — used for business as much as for fun. Plenty of Gabonese refused to give them up, turning to VPNs to keep scrolling.

The timing raised eyebrows. The suspension came as President Brice Oligui Nguema faced a wave of social unrest less than a year after his election, with teachers and civil servants striking over what they called low pay and poor working conditions. Opposition figures branded the blackout an abuse of power.

Nguema's political footing is otherwise secure on paper: he won last year's election with more than 90% of the vote, two years after his coup closed out more than five decades of rule by the Bongo family. He pledged to reform Gabon — a small but oil- and timber-rich country where previous governments had used digital blackouts to control information.

Now the question is whether the platforms stay switched on. The HAC has given no detail on what changed between February and Saturday, and it has not said whether any content rules will replace the ban.