By Riches Soberekon
Ethiopia has lifted its ban on social networks and messaging services, including Facebook, Telegram, TikTok, and YouTube after five months of restriction.
In response to calls for demonstrations by leaders of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church against the creation of a dissident synod, the Ethiopian government imposed restrictions on social networks and messaging services on February 9, 2023.
Since then, users had only been able to access these sites and applications via a virtual private network (VPN).
The restrictions were condemned by Amnesty International, which said they “clearly violate citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and access to information.”
The Ethiopian government has not yet commented on the lifting of the restrictions.
This is not the first time that the Ethiopian government has restricted access to social media. In the past, the government has done so during periods of political unrest.
The northern region of Tigray, which was the scene of an armed conflict with the federal government between November 2020 and November 2022, was largely deprived of any means of telecommunications for two years.
Networks have been partially restored since the signing of a peace agreement last November.
