Senegal Shutdowns Landscape
“The cancer of the modern world.”
This is how Senegal’s President Macky Sall described social media after protests erupted over his government’s arrest of a main opposition leader and Senegal’s ruling party lost key local elections early in 2022. In Senegal, a country where 70% of the population is below 40, people have taken to social media to discuss politics, to express their anger, and to organize. In French, Wolof, and English, the hashtag #freeSenegal became a rallying cry on Twitter and Instagram to mobilize protests. Senegal’s civil society is one of the most notably vibrant and diverse free civil societies in Africa. However, the Senegalese government, like too many others in Africa and around the world, sees online dissent and political debate as something to be remedied, and is increasingly using forms of digital repression and censorship to control online spaces. In 2021, as protests and online dissent grew, the government did what so many other governments have started to do: they tried to shut it down.
On March 4, 2021, following a day of protests and cases of violence, the government allegedly restricted access to Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Telegram, and suspended two private television channels that had heavily covered the protests. There is limited evidence available about this internet shutdown incident, in part because the shutdowns reportedly occurred early in the morning and only for a few hours. Additionally, as reported by local actors, civil society was not prepared for such a shutdown, with few people equipped to technically measure incidents of network disruption and little capacity on the part of journalists to adequately cite technical evidence and report on the shutdown. Without clear evidence, it remains extremely difficult to verify internet shutdowns and to hold governments accountable.
Monitoring and Assessing Shutdowns in Senegal
Internews has worked closely with leading civil society partners to understand qualitatively the experience of those on the ground during the 2023 shutdowns and to gather actionable information about existing needs and the threat of future shutdowns in the country.
Findings from that assessment and recommendations for future preparedness can be found in Internews’
Senegal Shutdown After-Action Report
For a country that has long been seen as one of the most stable democracies in Africa, there are worrying signs of democratic backsliding under Sall. The Press Code, passed in 2017, as well as the use of national security laws to arrest journalists have constituted significant attacks on media freedom in the country. The government has repeatedly called for social media regulations. In July of this year, the main opposition party’s candidates for legislative election were disqualified over a minor issue. Many worry that Sall and his APR party will pursue an unconstitutional third term.
Senegal will hold presidential elections in 2024. Considering escalating tensions in the country and increased repression by the ruling government, there is a need to pay attention now to bolster Senegal’s democracy and support Senegalese civil society to organize and prepare for possible election and post-election scenarios. The narrative of “Senegalese exceptionalism” — that Senegal’s democracy is impervious to authoritarian trends and economic/political turmoil — inhibits Senegalese civil society from making the case for preparations and protections both at home and abroad. There is too much at stake to take Senegalese democracy for granted.
With internet shutdowns occurring with increasing frequency around protests and elections in Africa, Internews’ OPTIMA project worked with Senegalese organizations, Jonction and Computech to provide an in-depth examination of a civil society uncertain about its future and the potential for increased censorship of the media and digital spaces. Drawing on a survey of civil society stakeholders as well as a co-design workshop, this report outlines how civil society perceives the threat of internet shutdowns in Senegal, the gaps that exist when it comes to digital policy expertise and technical data collection, and the resources required to prepare for possible shutdowns.
This in-depth needs assessment is part of a series of reports focusing on civil society needs in four distinct countries as it relates to preparing for and preventing internet shutdowns. These assessments sought to better understand the nuanced ways in which internet shutdowns occur in different countries, including:
- Patterns and trends in technical mechanisms used in specific places to shut down the internet;
- Political and social triggering events and government for shutting down the internet;
- Perceptions of the wider impact of shutdowns on economies and societies;
- Differential impacts that shutdowns have on specific vulnerable groups and marginalized populations;
- Laws and regulations that contribute to an enabling environment for internet shutdowns and inhibit advocacy related to censorship and internet shutdowns;
- Perceptions about future risk of internet shutdowns; and
- Perceptions about civil society preparedness and advocacy capacity in areas such as awareness-raising and stakeholder engagement, documentation of impact and network measurement, circumvention strategies and protection of vulnerable communities, and legal capacity to engage in litigation.For a country that has long been seen as one of the most stable democracies in Africa, there are worrying signs of democratic backsliding under Sall. The Press Code, passed in 2017, as well as the use of national security laws to arrest journalists have constituted significant attacks on media freedom in the country. The government has repeatedly called for social media regulations. In July of this year, the main opposition party’s candidates for legislative election were disqualified over a minor issue. Many worry that Sall and his APR party will pursue an unconstitutional third term.
Senegal will hold presidential elections in 2024. Considering escalating tensions in the country and increased repression by the ruling government, there is a need to pay attention now to bolster Senegal’s democracy and support Senegalese civil society to organize and prepare for possible election and post-election scenarios. The narrative of “Senegalese exceptionalism” — that Senegal’s democracy is impervious to authoritarian trends and economic/political turmoil — inhibits Senegalese civil society from making the case for preparations and protections both at home and abroad. There is too much at stake to take Senegalese democracy for granted.
Key Findings from the Assessment
Read the full reports linked above to view a more in-depth analysis of these key findings
The full report linked below provides a detailed legal analysis as well as an extensive review of the survey findings, and focus group discussions. The report ends with recommendations for civil society actors, policymakers, and international organizations to support Senegalese actors’ capabilities to build sustainable long-term advocacy to prevent shutdowns
Senegal Shutdown After Action Report
This after-action report, conducted in partnership with civil society partners in Dakar, was designed to be deployed quickly to understand
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