LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — When residents of Anobon, Equatorial Guinea, wrote to the government of Malabo, complaining about the dynamite explosion by a Moroccan construction company last July, they weren’t expecting a quick end to internet access.
Dozens of signatories and residents have been jailed for almost a year, but internet access to the small island has since been blocked, according to several residents and rights groups.
Locals interviewed by The Associated Press have left the island in the past few months, citing their fear of life and the difficulty of living without the internet.
Banking services will be closed, hospital services will be suspended for emergencies, and residents say they will accumulate phone charges they cannot afford, as mobile phone calls are their only way of communication.
When the government closes the internet, it often instructs telecom providers to reduce connections to designated locations and to reduce access to designated websites, but it is unclear exactly how the shutdown works in Anobon.
The internet closure remains in effect, residents, along with activists, confirmed the moment the Trump administration considered it. Relaxation of corruption sanctions About the country’s vice president.
Somagec, a Moroccan company that claims activists are linked to the president, confirmed the suspension but denied it has put its hands on it. The AP could not confirm the link.
“The current situation is very serious and worrying,” said one signer who spent 11 months in prison, who spoke anonymously in fear of being targeted by the government.
Increases suppression
In addition to shutting down the internet, “the phone is monitored and speaking freely can pose a risk,” said Macus Menejolea Taxijad, a resident who recently began living in exile.
According to the 2024 Amnesty International Report, the country’s deployment to crush criticism, including massive surveillance, is just the latest in oppressive measures.
A former Spanish colony, Equatorial Guinea is run by Africa’s longest-serving president, Theodoro Obian Nuguema Mbasogo. His son is accused of serving as vice president and spending state funds in a luxurious lifestyle. He was Convicted of money laundering and embezzlement in France Authorized by the UK
Friday, the United Nations Supreme Court Rejected Equatorial Guinea’s request France confiscated its Paris-based mansion as part of a corruption investigation, finding it has not shown that African countries have a “plausible right to the return of their buildings.”
Despite the country’s oil and gas wealth, at least 57% of nearly 2 million people are in poverty, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, officials, their families and their inner circle lead a luxurious life.
The Equatorial Guinea government did not respond to AP investigations on the island, its status or internet access.
Anobon has a problematic history
Located in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 315 miles (507 km) from the coast of Equatorial Guinea, Anobon is one of the poorest islands in a country in conflict with the central government. With a population of about 5,000, the island has been seeking independence from the country for years as it accuses the government of ignoring its residents.
The internet closure is the latest in Malabo’s long history of repressive responses to the island’s political and economic demands, saying activists cite regular arrests and lack of proper social equipment like schools and hospitals.
“Their alienation comes from a cultural, social and economic perspective as well as a political perspective,” said Merce Monge Cano, executive director of the Global Advocacy Group for unrepresented people and national organizations.
The new airport, which opened in Annobón in 2013, was built by Somagec, has promised to connect the island to other regions. But locals and activists say, not much has improved. Instead, internet closures have deteriorated living conditions there and ruined key infrastructure, including healthcare and banking services.
Use Internet suspension to crack down on protests
In 2007, Equatorial Guinea signed a business agreement with Somagec, a Moroccan construction company that develops ports and power transmission systems throughout West and Central Africa.
The geological and volcanic past of Anobon expands the influence of Malab in the rocky, oil-rich Gulf of Guinea. Somagec is also building a port, and has investigated mineral extraction at Annobón since it began operations on the island, according to activists.
Residents and activists said the company’s dynamite explosion in open quarries and construction activities is polluting farmland and water supplies. Company work on the island continues.
Residents wanted to strengthen their authority to improve the situation with complaints last July. Instead, Obian later deployed the oppressive tactics that were common in Africa, blocking access to the internet and cracking down on protests and criticism.
This was different from previous cases in which Malabo restricted the internet during elections.
“This is the first time the government has cut off the internet because of the community’s complaints,” said Tutu Alicante, an Anobon-born activist who runs the EG Justice Human Rights group.
According to the Internet advocacy group Felicia Antonio of Access, the power of the internet allows people to challenge their leaders can threaten authorities. “So, the first thing they do during the protest is to chase the internet,” Antonio said.
Somagec CEO Roger Sahyon refused to take action on the shutdown and said the company itself was forced to rely on private satellites. He defended the dynamite blast, saying that all the necessary assessments were made.
“After conducting a geological and environmental impact survey, the current site where the quarry was opened has been identified as the best place to meet all criteria,” Sahyon said in an email.
Meanwhile, residents continue to suffer from internet closures and are unable to use even the private satellites deployed by the company.
“Anobon is very far away, far from the capital and (the rest of the continent,” said Alicante, an island activist. “So you’re leaving people there without access to other parts of the continent…and incommunicado.”
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