Tanzania: U.S. Embassy Closed Temporarily Due to Regional Internet Outage

 U.S. Embassy in Tanzania Announces Temporary Closure Due to Internet Outage

The U.S. Embassy in Tanzania has announced a temporary closure to the public for two days due to degraded network service caused by a widespread internet outage affecting several East African countries. The outage, traced back to a severed submarine cable, has impacted Kenya, Tanzania, and other regions across East and Southern Africa.

The embassy made the announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday, explaining that the closure is necessary to address the ongoing disruptions to internet connectivity. The outage has caused significant disruptions for businesses and individuals across the affected countries, highlighting the critical role that internet infrastructure plays in today's interconnected world. As the U.S. Embassy works to resolve the network issues, it remains to be seen how long the outage will persist and what additional impacts it may have on diplomatic relations and economic activity in the region.

This incident underscores the importance of investing in reliable and resilient internet infrastructure to support global connectivity and digital commerce. The U.S. Embassy in Tanzania has confirmed that it will be closed to the public on May 14 and 15 due to the ongoing network disruptions affecting the country. The closure was announced via X, with the embassy citing degraded network service nationwide as the reason for the temporary shutdown.

All consular appointments scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday have been canceled, and those affected will be rescheduled for a later date. Despite the closure, the embassy will remain operational for emergencies involving American citizens and for visa pickups, ensuring that critical services continue to be available to those in need. The network disruptions are linked to a severed submarine cable impacting Kenya, Tanzania, and other regions across East and Southern Africa, resulting in widespread internet outages.

As the embassy works to resolve these issues, it serves as a reminder of the importance of reliable internet infrastructure and the impact that disruptions can have on diplomatic relations and daily life. According to internet monitoring group NetBlocks, the widespread internet outage that began on Sunday morning has caused significant connectivity issues in Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. Of the affected countries, Tanzania appears to be the most severely impacted, highlighting the detrimental effects that disruptions to internet infrastructure can have on digital connectivity and communication in the region.

The causes and full extent of the outage are still being investigated, but the incident serves as a reminder of the importance of robust and resilient internet infrastructure in supporting economic activity, social interaction, and everyday life. As efforts to restore connectivity continue, it is crucial to examine the lessons learned from this incident and explore ways to minimize the impact of future disruptions on the affected countries and their populations.

Industry experts have pointed to faults in the undersea cables connecting East Africa to the global network via South Africa as the likely cause of the internet disruption. The cables affected include the EASSy and SEACOM systems, which run along Africa's east coast and connect countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique to the rest of the world. Chris Wood, CEO of WIOCC Group, an investor in the EASSy cable, confirmed that the EASSy cable experienced a cut between South Africa and Mozambique, while a similar issue occurred with the SEACOM cable around the same time. This has resulted in all subsea capacity between East Africa and South Africa being temporarily unavailable. The impact of these cable faults has been significant, with internet service disruptions reported across several East African nations.

Tanzania has been particularly affected, with internet traffic falling to 30 percent of expected levels, according to Cloudflare Radar, a global web monitor. Other countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar have also experienced connectivity issues. As telecom providers continue their efforts to fully restore service and investigate the causes of the faults, the incident serves as a reminder of the critical role that undersea cables play in supporting global internet connectivity.

In summary, the temporary closure of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania highlights the severe impact of internet outages on diplomatic services and daily life. The incident underscores the necessity of robust internet infrastructure to maintain connectivity and support economic and social activities in the region.