Gabon Suspends Social Media Over ‘Hate, False Information’

Social media platforms in Gabon have been suspended indefinitely, the country’s media regulator announced Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the High Authority for Communication said defamatory, hateful and false content, as well as cyberbullying and unauthorised data disclosures, are fueling division and destabilising state institutions.

The regulator did not specify which platforms are affected but maintained that freedom of expression remains a constitutional right.

The move comes as President Brice Oligui Nguema faces growing unrest, with teachers on strike since December over pay and working conditions, and protests spreading to other public sectors including health, higher education and broadcasting.