Chad Finally Lifts Social Media Ban after More than a Year

Chad has finally lifted its ban on Social media usage after banning the practice over a year ago. The ban was implemented in March 2018 and has been in place for the past 16 months.

The Chadian government cracked down on some social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp to curb the rising anti-government protests that had befallen the country.

Chadian residents were against a proposed constitutional review by the national conference that would allow the current president to rule the country until 2033. The protests, according to the government, were a threat to internal security.

Speaking at a digital technology conference in the country’s capital city –N’Djamena, Chad’s President Idriss Deby announced the end of the ban but still urged citizens “to everyone’s sense of responsibility so that these means of communication are an instrument of development and not a source of division.”

Earlier this year, the lawyers in the country had filed a case in court to seek a court order that will force the government to lift the Social media ban. The case was, however, overthrown by the court of Appeal, allowing the government to continue with the ban.

It was not the first time for Chad to ban social media usage in the country; a similar event had also occurred back in 2016 where the country approximately lost $20 million as a result. In Africa, social media ban is increasingly becoming common. Recently Ethiopia and Sudan have also had internet shutdowns.

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