Equatorial Guinea - September 2025

September marked the 14th month of an internet shutdown that has been enforced by Equatoguinean authorities on the country’s Annabón island, which has cut off its residents from the rest of Equatorial Guinea and halted basic services. The shutdown was imposed in July 2024, in response to protests over the environmental impacts of dynamite blasting being carried out by a Moroccan construction company. The subsequent digital blackout has further impeded the flow of information to and from Annabón (including on the impact of the shutdown), which has been limited by its geographical remoteness and the state’s control of the media. It has also stopped hospital and banking services, worsening living conditions and causing some of the approximately 5,000 residents to leave the island. The internet shutdown is part of a broader pattern of state repression against the population of Annabón, whose history of political, economic and cultural marginalisation has motivated long standing calls for independence from Equatorial Guinea. 

Sources: Associated Press News, Access Now (1), Access Now (2), New Lines Magazine