We write to urgently request that you publicly denounce the internet shutdowns in Sudan, and pledge your support to maintain unfettered internet access in the country, especially in moments of conflict or unrest. In line with your past commitments to respect digital rights in the places where you operate, it is crucial that you exercise all possible methods of denouncing the shutdown, providing information to the public around how and why it was implemented, and contributing to reporting on its impact... In the wake of this violence, MTN Sudan and other telecommunications companies blocked access to the internet... By implementing these blocks, MTN Sudan and others contributed to the TMC’s interference with the exercise of human rights.

... As a leading telecommunications provider in Sudan, Africa, and beyond, MTN Group and its subsidiary MTN Sudan enable people to exercise their rights and enjoy the economic, social, and cultural benefits of the global internet... he recent shutdowns in Sudan posed a severe threat to the safety, health, and wellbeing of MTN’s affected customers, and present an important opportunity for MTN to rise to, and exceed, baseline expectations of human rights due diligence, and mitigation and remedy of any violations. To do so, MTN should urgently adopt the recommendations outlined below... [including] [r]eveal any demands from the government that led you to disrupt internet access, and any gag order or other pressure to conceal the demand... [and] Jointly push back against government censorship demands.