Gabon’s media regulator has ordered the immediate suspension of social media platforms across the country, citing concerns that online content is fuelling division, misinformation and threats to national stability.
The decision was announced by the High Authority for Communication, which said the ban would remain in place “until further notice.”
Speaking in a televised address, the regulator’s spokesman, Jean-Claude Mendome, said the measure followed what authorities described as a surge in harmful digital content.
“Inappropriate, defamatory, hateful and insulting content circulating online is undermining human dignity, public morality, the honour of citizens, social cohesion, the stability of the Republic’s institutions and national security,” Mendome said.
He added that the regulator had also observed an increase in the spread of false information, cyberbullying and the unauthorised disclosure of personal data, which it said posed serious risks to public order.
“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,” the spokesman warned.
While the regulator did not specify which platforms were affected, it maintained that the move was not intended to suppress lawful speech.
“Freedom of expression, including freedom of comment and criticism, remains a fundamental right enshrined in Gabon,” Mendome said.
The suspension comes amid mounting social tensions in the Central African nation. Less than a year after his election, President Brice Oligui Nguema is facing his first major wave of unrest, driven largely by labour disputes in the public sector.
Teachers launched a nationwide strike in December over pay and working conditions. Similar protests have since spread to other sectors, including health, higher education and state broadcasting, with several unions threatening further industrial action.
Authorities have not indicated how long the social media suspension will last or when a review of the decision will take place.
