Government Shut Down Social Media After Protests Against Liberia’s President

In Liberia, the government has shut down access and use of social media platforms in the country, following protests by thousands of Liberians at the capital Monrovia on Friday to protest the corruption that has bedeviled president George Weah’s administration.

Citizens and residents of Liberia currently cannot use platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook as they have been blocked to subdue the protests, internet monitoring organization NetBlocks said. Although the cut-off didn’t impact all providers, restrictions affected mobile internet provider Orange Liberia and internet service provider Lonestar.

The social media shutdown was confirmed by assessing user measurements in the Liberian capital and in collaboration with the digital advocacy Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa.

Themed “Save The State,” the anti-government protests come just over a year after former soccer star George Weah was inaugurated into office as president. As an outsider, Weah campaigned to tackle corruption, and improving the provision of crucial services like education, health, and infrastructure.

A few months into office, the government, however, admitted that $104 million of freshly-minted currency had gone missing in a shipping container at the Monrovia port. After an uproar, officials retreated insisting the money was never lost. An additional $25 million, withdrawn from the country’s reserves and meant to be injected into the economy, was also lost. Besides calling for the return of the missing millions, demonstrators are also demanding for the establishment of a war crimes court to institute legal proceedings against those who bear the greatest responsibility for atrocities committed during Liberia’s civil war.

While the government denies any wrongdoing, the alleged financial mismanagement is worrying many Liberians who feel the country is heading into an ominous future. The Liberian dollar has dropped by a third against the US dollar since Weah took office with inflation soaring as high as 28%. The high-level embezzlement cases and the ensuing protests are vexing for Weah, whose election heralded the first peaceful transfer of power in Liberia in 73 years.