Ethiopia restricts social media as church rift turns violent

• NetBlocks reports that access to social media sites has been restricted in Ethiopia.
• Due to antigovernmental protests over a split in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhado Church.
• While some protesters resisted it, others were in favour of it.

The Internet monitor NetBlocks reports that access to social media sites has been banned in Ethiopia due to violent protests triggered by a split within the nation’s Orthodox Church.

When three church officials last month proclaimed themselves archbishops and established their own governing body, protests broke out in the Oromia region.

While some protesters resisted it, others were in favour of it.

According to network data that NetBlocks had gathered, access to Facebook, Messenger, TikTok, and Telegram has been severely constrained.

⚠️ Confirmed: Network metrics show that social media and messaging platforms Facebook, Messenger, TikTok and Telegram have been restricted in #Ethiopia amid anti-government protests over a split in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewhado Church #EOTC

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📰 Report: https://t.co/jWrvzRa5Kp pic.twitter.com/ZimopsltwJ

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 9, 2023

The message was sent out hours after the church announced that at least 30 people have died in protest-related incidents since February 4.

After Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed advised his ministers to avoid the conflict, the church issued a statement calling for rallies against the new governing body on Sunday.

The church also accused the Ethiopian government of “meddling” in the church’s internal affairs.

The Orthodox Church, which is attended by more than 40% of the population, and the Ethiopian state have long maintained strong connections.

On Friday, inquiries for comment were not immediately answered by the government’s spokesperson Legesse Tulu. In a statement released on Thursday, the authorities said that the planned protest was outlawed to stop violence.

Previously, during times of political turmoil, Ethiopian authorities have shut down or restricted internet access, such in response to protests in 2020 that followed the death of a well-known Oromian musician.

During the majority of a two-year conflict that came to an end in a truce in November, internet and phone services were also cut off in Tigray’s northern province.

The Orthodox Church insisted Sunday’s protest would go ahead and said the government’s ban constituted “a declaration to destroy the church once and for all”.

Ethiopia, a multiethnic nation where control has long been contested between federal and regional authorities, has long-running violent conflict in Oromia, home to Ethiopia’s biggest ethnic group, the Oromo.

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