Burkinabe government has extended the suspension of mobile internet services throughout the national territory for reasons of “public safety”.
The government earlier this week had however offered a different explanation saying the country needed some silence while burying its soldiers on Tuesday.
Services were supposed to have been restored on Wednesday, after being shut down for a period of 96 hours which was supposed to expire on Wednesday, November 24.
The Minister of Communication and government spokesman, Ousséni Tamboura in a statement disclosed that the Executive “has decided to extend the suspension of mobile Internet for a period of 96 hours” from November 24 at 20:00 local time.
The minister added that “Fixed internet is not affected by the directive.
This decision has come at a time when the country is experiencing a series of demonstrations and growing political uncertainties over insecurity by its youth.
This decision was initially taken after last weekend when the population of Kaya, a town about 100 kilometres north of Ouagadougou, blocked a French military convoy heading from Côte d’Ivoire to Niger.
The rumour that the convoy would return to Ouagadougou to take another route to Niger caused mobilizations on the road
The government of Burkina Faso said on Wednesday that it is “working” on getting a French military convoy that has been prevented by protesters for nearly a week to reach its “final destination”, Mali via Niger
According to Burkinabe government data, Insecurity has led to the internal displacement of 1.4 million people.
Although Burkina Faso has been suffering from jihadist violence since 2015, this attack generated much indignation and tension in the country and prompted a protest in Ouagadougou to demand the resignation of the Burkinabe president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
A new demonstration with the same objective is scheduled to take place next Saturday.