Sudan Shuts Internet, imposes Curfew on Coup Anniversary

In what is becoming common in some authoritarian African Countries, Sudanese authorities on Tuesday cut internet service and imposed a tight cover of the capital Khartoum as the country marks a year since the coup that toppled the transitional government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.

Processions against military rule were expected as has been the case every week since October 25, 2021.

As a desperate remedy, the Khartoum State Government declared an official holiday in all government and private institutions while the authorities deployed reinforcements from the army and police in the central Khartoum area. They also closed all roads leading to the Presidential Palace and the General Command of the Army, the headquarters of the military.

But an analysis by internet service watchdog Net Blocks said there had been internet disruption for most of Tuesday.

Net Blocks confirmed that live metrics show a nation-scale internet disruption in Sudan. The incident comes amid planned pro-democracy protests on the first anniversary of the 25th October, 2021 military coup that seized power from the transitional government.