Gabon’s communications regulator has lifted a ban on social media imposed eight months ago, reversing a restriction that drew widespread criticism and pushed many users to circumvention tools.
The High Communication Authority (HAC) announced the decision on Saturday in a televised statement. The BBC has sought comment from the country’s media regulator.
The ban took effect on 17 February. At the time, the HAC said online content was fueling conflict and deepening divisions in the Central African country of about 2.5 million people.
The restriction startled many in Gabon, where Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram are widely used by younger people for business and leisure. After the ban, many users turned to VPNs to continue accessing social media sites.
The suspension was imposed as President Brice Oligui Nguema faced a wave of social unrest less than a year after his election.
Teachers and civil servants had gone on strike over what they described as low pay and poor working conditions.
Opposition figures condemned the suspension as an abuse of power. Nguema won last year’s election with more than 90% of the vote, two years after his coup ended more than five decades of rule by the Bongo family.
At the time, he pledged to reform Gabon, a small but oil- and timber-rich country where previous governments had used digital blackouts to control information.
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