Business and Communication Collapse in Chad Amid Prolonged Internet Blackout

The internet outage in Chad, which began on October 15, 2024, has led to widespread disruption across the country, severely affecting both business operations and education. Civilians, particularly students, are facing significant challenges as they rely on the internet for communication and academic activities. Kaimoui Fabrice, a student at the University of N'djamena, has expressed his frustration at not being able to conduct online research or communicate with his supervisor at the University of Lyon in France. He highlighted the paralysis of businesses and academic work, pointing to the negative impact on everyday life. According to Fabrice, the internet blackout has deprived many citizens of their fundamental rights to education, access to information, and freedom of expression.

The government has denied responsibility for the internet shutdown. Chad's Prime Minister, Allamaye Halina, dismissed claims that the blackout was a deliberate move for security reasons, stating that many government services have also been negatively impacted. In a televised statement, Halina expressed the government's regret over the disruption to business transactions and civilian life and assured the public that steps were being taken to restore the connection. The government has ordered Chad's Minister of Communication to coordinate with the country’s internet providers, SAFITEL and SOTEL, to ensure that services are reestablished as soon as possible.

Minister of Communication Boukar Michel provided further details, explaining that the internet disruption was due to damage to fiber-optic cables in the neighboring Adamawa region of Cameroon. Cameroon provides internet connectivity to Chad, and recent floods in the region have made access to the damaged cables difficult, delaying repairs. Boukar expressed dissatisfaction with internet service providers for not adequately informing users of the reasons for the outage, which led many to believe that the government was responsible for the blackout.

Despite these explanations, a significant portion of the population remains skeptical, suspecting that the outage is politically motivated. The country is set to hold local and parliamentary elections on December 29, 2024, and some opposition groups believe that the government may have ordered the shutdown to prevent the mobilization of youths via social media in the run-up to the elections. Succes Masra, leader of Chad's main opposition party, the Transformers, has called for a delay in the elections, citing ongoing floods that have claimed at least 600 lives and displaced around 2 million people as reasons for postponing the vote until 2025. He argued that the current conditions make it impossible to conduct fair and safe elections in December.

The government, however, remains firm in its position that the elections will proceed as scheduled. This has fueled speculation that the internet blackout could be a tactic to suppress opposition and limit the public's ability to organize protests or express dissent on social media. This suspicion is not without precedent, as Chad has experienced internet disruptions during politically sensitive periods in the past. In February 2024, ahead of the May 6 presidential elections, the government ordered an internet shutdown following a deadly attack on the country’s internal security agency. Similarly, in June, after opposition parties contested the election results of President General Mahamat Idriss Deby, the internet was again disrupted, although civilians using Starlink equipment were able to maintain access.

The ongoing outage has sparked debates about the state of digital rights in Chad, with many Chadians calling for greater transparency and accountability from the government regarding internet access. The repeated shutdowns have raised concerns about the government's control over digital communication and its potential to use connectivity as a tool to manage political dissent. The current situation has placed immense pressure on the government to not only restore internet access but also to address the broader concerns about civil liberties as the country moves closer to the December elections.

In the meantime, businesses remain at a standstill, and students like Fabrice continue to face academic challenges due to the lack of internet access. The economic impact of the outage is significant, particularly as many businesses in Chad rely heavily on digital services for transactions and communication. The government’s handling of the situation in the coming days will be critical in shaping both public sentiment and international perceptions of Chad’s commitment to transparency and democratic governance as it navigates a politically charged environment.