Uganda cut access to the internet nationwide ahead of Thursday’s elections, in which President Yoweri Museveni is widely expected to extend his four-decade rule.
Internet shutdowns are used by many African governments to limit the flow of information and suppress protests, with more than 190 shutdowns occurring across 41 African countries between 2016 and last year.
Ugandan authorities implemented an internet blackout ahead of the 2021 election, which was marred by pre-election violence and rights abuses, according to observers. Violence also spiked following a crackdown on opposition parties in the lead up to this year’s vote.
Bobi Wine, Museveni’s main challenger, denounced the latest move as the acts of a “criminal regime” and called on voters to use Bitchat, an encrypted messaging app developed by X founder Jack Dorsey, to bypass the restrictions.
