After 22 days of internet shutdown, the government of Mauritania must commit to #KeepItOn at all times

July 31, 2024

Honourable Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, President of Mauritania

Cc: Mr. Mohamed Abdallah Ould Louly, Minister of Digital Transformation, Innovation and Modernization of Administration

We, the undersigned organizations and members of the #KeepItOn coalition urge you to publicly commit to ensuring unfettered access to the internet, social media platforms, and other communication channels for the people in Mauritania at all times, including during moments of national importance, and in particular, before, during, and after the presidential inauguration on August 1. This commitment is crucial to respect the rights enshrined in Mauritania’s Constitution and the country’s international commitments.

Responding to protests following the June 29, 2024 election, the results of which confirmed that you would continue in office for a second term, authorities disrupted mobile internet for 22 days, beginning July 2 and only returning July 24. Internet service providers Mattel and Chinguitel were shut down, cutting off access to essential information and communication for over 250,000 people. While Mattel briefly came back online the following week, it shut down again at midnight on Sunday, July 17. Even though the largest provider, Mauritel, appeared to be unaffected, the impact on the people in Mauritania was severe.

Government spokesperson Mr. Nani Ould Chrougha reportedly attempted to justify the internet shutdown as necessary for security. However, internet shutdowns are a disproportionate measure, ineffective at quelling violence or keeping people safe, and often having the opposite effect. In a period where the integrity of the election has been challenged and people lost their lives during clashes between protesters and security forces, access to information is absolutely vital for people’s safety, as well as for participation in public discourse and countering the spread of misinformation.

Despite your commitments to improve access to information and press freedom, internet shutdowns – which severely undermine both – have been a consistent blemish on Mauritanian authorities’ record since you were first elected in 2019. Following that election, both mobile data and fixed-line connections were disrupted amid challenges from opposition candidates. In 2023, a nationwide block targeted mobile internet access following two days of widespread protests ignited by the killing of a young man at the Sebkha police station. Earlier that year, access to mobile internet was abruptly cut off following the escape of four prisoners from a prison in Nouakchott. 

This is a worrying pattern at odds with both your government’s stated objectives, as well as in violation of Mauritania’s obligations under national and international law. Disrupting access to the internet and mobile applications is costly and harmful to communities and businesses, and violates fundamental freedoms of expression and access to information. These actions contradict Mauritania’s international commitments, including those under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Mauritania ratified in 2004. Under Article 19 of the ICCPR, the country has an obligation to safeguard people’s rights to form and express opinions freely through any media of their choice. This fundamental freedom also enables political engagement through freedoms of assembly, association, and participation in public affairs and elections under Articles 21, 22, and 25 of the ICCPR. During your tenure as chairperson of the African Union beginning in February 2024, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights adopted the Resolution on Internet Shutdowns and Elections in Africa, which underscores states’ responsibility to ensure uninterrupted internet access before, during, and after elections and notes the importance of this guidance for Mauritania, along with other states undergoing elections in 2024. This resolution builds on the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa – an agreement negotiated in part during technical meetings in Nouakchott – which holds that states “do not tolerate or engage in the interruption of access to the Internet and other digital technologies targeting segments of the population or an entire population.”

During election cycles, peaceful protest, periods of unrest, and all other moments of national importance, authorities must ensure and enable the free flow of information. Cutting off access to vital information and communication platforms puts people in harm’s way and undermines the enjoyment of all other human rights, from education and work to healthcare and other public services to free expression and peaceful assembly. The short- and long-term implications of a single disruption are severe, and where a government adopts a practice of repeated disruptions, these harms are amplified, creating an environment of uncertainty and instability. 

We, therefore, appeal to the government of Mauritania to: 

• Make public commitments to ensure accessible, reliable, open, and secure connection to the internet and all communication services for all people across the country at all times;

• In particular, take all necessary steps to maintain uninterrupted access to internet services and online communication platforms before, during, and after the upcoming presidential inauguration on August 1;
• Adopt the necessary legislative and regulatory reforms to ensure those commitments are upheld;
• Provide full transparency regarding past internet shutdowns imposed by your administration, including a properly reasoned explanation in writing, details of which authority ordered the disruption, and how the disruption was implemented, to enable the people of Mauritania to seek effective remedies;
• Require telecommunications and internet service providers, as well as other impacted platforms, to provide full transparency, prior notification, and properly reasoned explanations to their users in the case of any disruption, including those ordered by the government.

At the start of this new presidential term, we urge you to take a clear stance against any future use of internet shutdowns in Mauritania. Reform on this issue is a necessary foundation upon which other efforts to enhance press freedom, close digital divides, increase access to education and employment, and empower women, youth, and other vulnerable communities. The government of Mauritania has a duty to ensure that people can access the internet and communications services when they need it the most.

Signatories