The Congolese government restricted social media networks such as X and TikTok, days after AFC/M23 rebels took control of the eastern city of Goma, reports said. The restrictions, which also affected Google Play Store, were meant to combat what the government calls fake news, Jeune Afrique reported on February 4. ALSO READ: Timeline of events before and after M23 entered Goma “We can confirm that TikTok, Twitter/X and Google Play Store are restricted in DR Congo,” Isik Mater, research director for the British company Netblocks, which monitors the internet and social networks, told the French publication. The blocking of Google Play Store “appears to be an attempt to prevent users from downloading VPNs,” NetBlocks said. VPNs are applications that would allow to circumvent the restrictions observed since February 2. ALSO READ: M23 want ‘direct dialogue' with Kinshasa The Congolese Minister of Interior, Jacquemain Shabani, hinted at “technical issues” during a press briefing on February 3. “I assure you, this will be restored very soon and very quickly. These are also technical issues and we are working on them,” Shabani was quoted as saying. However, some groups have pointed to the violation of people’s rights due to the restriction on communications channels. This is a “violation of freedom of expression and the right to information guaranteed by articles 23 and 24 of the Constitution of [DR Congo], as well as international conventions that guarantee these fundamental freedoms, reacted the AfricTivistes network. ALSO READ: M23 rebels declare unilateral ceasefire We ask the Congolese authorities to restore these communication platforms that allow citizens to diversify their sources of information in a context conducive to disinformation.” The restriction come in a climate of increased distrust of the authorities towards social networks since the capture of Goma by the AFC/M23. The head of the Higher Council for Audiovisual and Communication (CSAC), Christian Bosembe, who is said to be at forefront of the “media front” that monitors what is said in the media and puts pressure on journalists since the intensification of the fight against the M23, has condemned what he calls ‘unpatriotic’ messages spread on social media. Bosembe is joined by Minister of Communications and Government Spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, who has been warns Congolese journalists about what they share on their social media accounts.
