Social Media and Messaging Platforms Face Restrictions in Ethiopia as Tensions Rise between Government and Orthodox Church.
According to Netblocks, an organization that tracks internet access freedom, the restrictions have affected the usage of Facebook, Messenger, Telegram, and TikTok.
Following the announcement by the Orthodox Church’s governing body, the synod, that it would proceed with planned protest rallies despite a ban by the authorities, schools were shut down on Friday in accordance with a directive from the government.
One of the largest religious denominations in Ethiopia, the Orthodox Church, accuses the government of supporting a splinter group in the Oromia region. The splinter group, in turn, accuses the church of perpetuating a system of linguistic and cultural domination, in which Oromia-based congregations are not served in their native languages.
The church denies these allegations.
Both the Orthodox Church and the splinter group have declared their determination to continue with their planned rallies in the capital city, Addis Ababa.
It will be recalled that In the past, Ethiopia has faced accusations from human rights organizations of internet censorship.
