If your country bans social media access today, will that affect you in any way? That’s likely a question the Gabonese are asking.
On Tuesday evening, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), Gabon’s media regulator, announced on national television that social media platforms are indefinitely suspended.Â
The regulator said the ban was a tool to curb the spread of misinformation, cyberbullying, hate speech, and the unauthorised sharing of personal data to protect national security and human dignity.
But there’s more than meets the eye: The ban coincides with rising social tension in the country. Teachers have been on strike since December 2025 over pay and working conditions; health and broadcasting workers have hinted that they might follow suit. While the official word from the regulator focuses on harmful content, this move could be seen as a convenient tactic to avert attention from the noise on that front.
Gabon is not alone: Across Africa, governments have flicked the switch during tense moments, like elections and protests. Tanzania restricted internet access during its 2025 elections; Uganda did the same in 2021. In the same year, Nigeria famously suspended Twitter (now X) indefinitely, after the platform deleted the President’s tweet. The government would later make a U-turn in 2022; the suspension lasted for seven months.
What this really means: An indefinite social media suspension is an economic and political lever. Small businesses advertise and sell on these platforms, and citizens test public opinion in real time. Digital creators earn an income from these platforms. If social media can suddenly disappear until the moment the government feels like it’s enough, then access to free speech is a privilege that exists in a conditional vacuum