Gabon’s media regulator, the High Authority for Communication (HAC), has announced the suspension of social media platforms in the country “until further notice”, citing growing concerns over misinformation, cyberbullying and the unauthorised disclosure of personal data.
In a televised address on Tuesday evening, HAC spokesperson Jean-Claude Mendome said the decision was taken in response to what the regulator described as a sharp rise in harmful online content that is fuelling social tensions.
However, the regulator did not specify which platforms would be affected by the suspension. Popular services such as WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok are among the most widely used social media platforms in the country.
Gabon is currently led by President Brice Oligui Nguema, who won last year’s presidential election after leading a 2023 military coup that brought to an end more than five decades of rule by the Bongo family.
The 50-year-old leader is facing mounting social pressure, with teachers and other civil servants staging strikes since December over pay disputes and poor working conditions. The protests have since spread across several sectors, including health and education.
Although social media platforms remained accessible on Wednesday morning, authorities indicated that a shutdown is expected to be enforced.
The announcement has unsettled many citizens in the Central African nation of about 2.5 million people, where digital platforms play a major role in business and communication—particularly among young entrepreneurs and small traders.
A restaurant owner in the capital, Libreville, told the BBC that nearly 40 per cent of his customers discover his business through online advertising and reviews.
“We won’t be able to attract new customers,” he said, warning that the suspension could push the country “backward into underdevelopment”.
However, not all citizens oppose the decision. A taxi driver interviewed by the BBC said the authorities likely had valid reasons for imposing the restrictions, given the current climate of social tension.
During his election campaign, President Nguema pledged democratic reforms and increased transparency, including allowing foreign and independent media to film ballot counting for the first time in Gabon’s history.
Despite those commitments, previous governments in the country have repeatedly imposed digital blackouts during sensitive political moments as a way of controlling the flow of information.
In its statement, the regulator insisted that freedom of expression remains protected under Gabonese law. However, it warned that online content considered defamatory, hateful or capable of destabilising public order poses a threat to national unity and security.
