SUDAN NEWS ALERT: Financial Times - Sudan internet blackout forces battered protesters to rethink
The Financial Times reports that citizens of Khartoum are forced to find new ways to communicate amid the second week of the Sudanese internet blackout.
Sudan’s network operators Sudatel, Zain and MTN switched off mobile internet access for customers. Then on Monday fixed line internet services for most offices and houses were also cut, “plunging the country into near complete data darkness. “
A spokesman for Sudan’s military leaders said the internet had been disconnected “for a limited time” but provided no justification. One of Sudan’s international mobile operators declined to comment, citing concern for the security of its staff if it discussed the disruption publicly. A spokesperson for state-owned Sudatel said he had no information about any government instructions to shutdown services
The article notes that while platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter were used widely to organise protests, Sudanese activists are now reliant on SMS texts.