Nigeria, April 27 -- In Gabon, social media access has been blocked since February amid social unrest and strikes in the education and health sectors. At least 800,000 users (about 32 per cent of the population) have been cut off from Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. A three-day internet blackout marked Gabon's 2024 presidential polls.

This year, an ad hoc shutdown occurred during Congo-Brazzaville's March polls, and digital isolation was the unspoken norm in both the 2021 and March 2026 presidential elections.

NetBlocks estimates average daily losses from social media restrictions in Gabon at around CFA1 billion, nearly CFA30 billion a month. On 1 April, the government announced a gradual lifting of restrictions, but ...