In what has become a
new vest for African leaders, the government of Togo has reportedly shut down
the service of the Internet in its domain, reports ITRealms.
Reports reaching our
newsroom showed that Faure Gnassingbé,
President of Togo, has approved of the shut down due political protest over his
plans to change the presidential term of office.
Reacting to the Togo
shut down, yesterday, the Executive Director at Paradigm Initiative, Mr. Gbenga
Sesan, noted with dismay that network disruptions cum restrictions and other
digital rights violations are increasingly popular among African leaders.
Wondering how citizens
and civil society organisations are managing the situation.
“It’d be great to also
know if anyone is documenting the human angle stories arising from this
shutdown, especially as it’s coming after political protests started,” he
lamented.
Sesan pointed out that
in Cameroon, people traveled really far to get access, while in Gambia, there
was loss of life reported because of lack of access to Internet services that
could have helped to save a mother and child.
These are in spite of
the economic implications and rights-based arguments around these violations.
Condemning the
Internet shutdown in Togo, Sesan called on the government to respect the
citizens’ digital right and restore internet services.
In
a tweet @ParadigmHQ, Sesan says, his organisation “deplores the internet shutdown in Togo and calls on the government to respect citizens' digital right & restore
internet services.”
ITRealms recalls that Togo is a West African nation on the Gulf of
Guinea, reputed for its palm-lined beaches and hilltop villages. Koutammakou,
inhabited by the Batammariba people, is a traditional settlement of
fortresslike clay huts dating to the 17th century.
Whereas in the capital, Lomé, there are
the multistory Grand Marché bazaar and the Fetish Market, offering traditional
talismans and remedies relating to the vodun (voodoo) religion.
Togo has a population
of 7.606 million, according to the World Bank.
Nonye Dom/GEE
No comments:
Post a Comment