Social media sites have been blocked in Sudan for five days now. Sudanese citizens are being forced to use VPN services to access blocked networks, including, Twitter, Facebook, and Twitter and work out what’s happening in the country.
Last week, authorities in Sudan blocked access to social media networks. The social media blockade followed a junta-enforced internet blackout that lasted more than three weeks; since the military seized power on October 25 in a coup led by General Abdelfattah El Burhan.
According to activists and critics, the purpose of the social media blackout is to hide the atrocities committed by the military and the paramilitary forces supporting the military regime.
Users explained to Radio Dabanga that VPNs are consuming a lot of bandwidth, increasing the costs of using the internet.
NetBlocks, an organization that tracks internet usage, said that blocking social media restricts the public’s access to information, adding that social media contributes to a free and just society.
