Ethiopia’s PM warns of a longer internet cutoff amid unrest
Posted August 1, 2019 11:09 am.
Last Updated August 1, 2019 12:49 pm.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s prime minister says that if deadly unrest in the country continues with online incitement, internet in the country could be cut off “forever.”
Abiy Ahmed’s press conference on Thursday came after the assassination of the East African nation’s army chief and a regional coup attempt in recent weeks.
The prime minister has been praised for reforms that include freeing political prisoners and ending a state of emergency, but internet shutdowns amid the unrest have worried many Ethiopians. One came during national exams.
Abiy said Ethiopia wants the internet to help drive development but warned that it is “neither water nor air.”
The country is one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies and has the continent’s second-largest population.
