Eswatini govt is using MTN shutdown to prevent locals from telling their stories, activists say

Eswatini locals continue to struggle to access WhatsApp and social media sites amid a continued blackout in the country.

Following a directive from the Eswatini communication regulator, MTN switched off access to all social media platforms and online messaging applications over its network on Tuesday last week. In addition, locals report that gaining access to the rest of the internet has also been mostly impossible.

This followed a surge in pro-democracy protests against the monarchy and a violent clampdown by the military on the local population. News24 reports that while the official death toll is 27 people, activists say the death toll could be nearly twice as high, with more than 200 people in hospital.