A social media restriction which forced people in The Gambia to use virtual private networks (VPN) to access whatsapp application has been lifted as the clock ticks for the exit of ex-President Yahya Jammeh.
Many journalists in the West African country tweeted about the development as they waited to see the exit of Jammeh who agreed to cede power on Friday, January 20 – almost 24 hours after his tenure ended.
General internet cuts are not unusual under Jammeh with the most recent being before and during the December 1, 2016 elections. The restriction on internet and telephone services caused internet freedom groups to petition Jammeh, their appeals were however slammed by the then government.
Internet was cut on the evening of the eve of the polls and was not restored throughout the period. Fears were that information flow could be threatened in polls that Jammeh was widely expected to win. In the end he lost to Adama Barrow – then opposition coalition candidate and now President of The Gambia.
The use of particularly Twitter has been crucial in the post election happenings in the country. A hashtag #GambiaHasDecided became popular with activists using it very frequently. People wearing T shirts with the hashtag were sometimes arrested.
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