Uganda: Internet fully back weeks after shutdown

KAMPALA, Uganda

Internet and social media services have been fully restored in Uganda on Wednesday, nearly a month after the shutdown during the Jan. 14 polls.

The government had ordered telecom companies to block access to social media platforms, saying it could ignite violence.

“Internet and social media services have been fully restored. We apologize for the inconveniences caused, but it was for the security of our country,” tweeted Peter Ogwang, the minister of state for information, communication technology and national guidance.

The run-up to polling day was marred by bloodshed and a sustained crackdown on government critics and President Yoweri Museveni’s rivals. At least 54 people were killed in the violence, and opposition leader Bobi Wine was detained multiple times.

Several people have also been held and tortured since the presidential vote. The abductors, sometimes in plainclothes and sometimes in uniforms, allegedly have grabbed their victims from their homes, streets, markets, and garages.

Internal Affairs Minister Gen Jeje Odongo has tasked Grace Akullo, the head of the Criminal Investigations Directorate, to probe the abductions allegedly by security personnel.

Uganda’s longtime leader Museveni, who has ruled the East African country for 35 years, was declared the winner of the election for a record sixth term.

Wine, the main opposition frontrunner, rejected the election results, saying he has evidence of fraud. He challenged the results in the Supreme Court, and the verdict is expected not later than March 17.