The government of Gabon, where social media platforms have been offline for over a week, is reportedly engaging in talks with Meta and TikTok, the country’s communication ministry confirmed on Thursday.
The media regulator ordered the suspension “until further notice” on February 17, citing online content that it said fueled conflict and societal divisions.
As of Thursday, Facebook and TikTok, the nation’s most popular platforms, remained inaccessible, along with YouTube and Instagram, while WhatsApp availability varied across providers.
“Discussions are ongoing” with Meta and TikTok, aides to the communication minister told AFP.
According to local media, TikTok reached out to the regulator the day after the shutdown, affirming its commitment to fostering “a safe digital environment that respects the rights and dignity of Gabonese citizens.”
Deputy presidency spokeswoman Jennyfer Melodie Sambat clarified on Monday that the suspension was aimed specifically at Meta platforms.
“We’ve been issuing warnings for more than a year and a half, including reports about these different publications,” she said.
“It was inconceivable that, after numerous alerts from the government, the group should do nothing,” Sambat added.
She further noted that, aside from posts deemed “defamatory,” there was “content of a violent, even pornographic, nature.”
Gabon’s former prime minister Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze, now an opposition figure, criticized the measure, calling it “disproportionate” and unconstitutional.
Some users are still circumventing the ban using VPNs. Provider Proton reported a 60,000-percent surge in downloads of its VPN tool on February 18.
Presidency spokesman Theophane Zame-Nze Biyoghe told Brut, an outlet that primarily publishes on social media, on Wednesday that the ban “was not definitive.”
“It’s a suspension while we give precedence to this overriding interest we have in better regulation, for the benefit of everyone,” he said.
