" Mozambique’s dark hour — repression, digital isolation and the struggle for freedom" 05 November 2024

What began as a demand for electoral justice has evolved into something far deeper. This movement is a cry against the erosion of life’s basic dignity, the plague of corruption and the growth of criminal networks that have turned Mozambique into a drug-trafficking crossroads, enriching an elite tied to the ruling party, Frelimo.

These protesters—young, determined, and undeterred—are asking for the right to build a life with opportunity, to find work, to imagine a future. They are standing against the exploitation of Mozambique’s natural wealth, which benefits a small privileged circle while leaving the majority in poverty. Yet, their voices are being muted, as access to the internet—their primary tool for organising and speaking out—is systematically cut.

Three telecom operators—Vodacom, TMcel, and Movitel—are executing these digital blackouts. Vodacom, a subsidiary of the global giant Vodafone, and Movitel, a company with Vietnamese ties and links to Frelimo, are among those denying millions of Mozambicans their connection to the world.

The shutdown is more than just a barrier to communication; it is a form of digital apartheid, disproportionately affecting impoverished, marginalised communities where resistance to the Frelimo regime is strongest. [...] Filipe Paunde, a member of both the National Institute of Communications of Mozambique (INCM) Board and Frelimo’s Political Commission, wields influence that undermines the agency’s supposed independence. When the INCM orders an internet shutdown, it does so not to serve the public, but to protect a regime clinging to power. This is a blatant conflict of interest that violates both national laws and international standards of governance. [...]